Clara Keenan Dumontier

ARLEE - Clara Keenan Dumontier died on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2004, at Hillside Manor in Missoula.

Clara was born at Finley Creek in Arlee on Jan. 27, 1914, to Mary Josetti Pokerjim and Patrick Henry Keenan. She was the second of nine children and lived her entire life in Arlee until she moved to Hillside Manor. She was a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and was fluent in the Salish language. As a child, Clara went to school in Arlee and at the Ursulines in St. Ignatius.

She married Albert Leroy Dumontier on Feb. 24, 1931.

Survivors include four children, Leona Dunham of Great Falls, Dorothy "Dottie" (Jerry) Ford of Missoula, LeRoy (Virginia) Dumontier of Arlee and Alfred "Cub" (Glenda) Dumontier of Arlee; two foster children, Audie and Victor Morigeau; eight grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by sisters Mary Riekina, Rose Bacon and Jeannie Veitenheimer. Jeannie resided with the Dumontier family for several years.

She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews, and a special friend, Judy Myllymaki, who took her on many rodeo road trips including the Calgary Stampede and the National Rodeo Finals in Las Vegas.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 46 years, Albert; her sister, Annie Espinoza; brothers James, Harry, Arthur and Charles; and a son-in-law, Harley Dunham.

After their marriage, Clara and Albert raised their family, ranched and every fall supplemented their income by buying Christmas trees for companies in Minnesota.

Clara went to work for the Tribal Health Program of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in the late 1960s. During that time she received her GED, an accomplishment of which she was very proud.

She received many community and civic honors, among them, in 1974, the Outstanding Leader in Significant Volunteer Efforts on behalf of the Senior Citizen Program in Montana presented by then-Gov. Thomas Judge; 1976 Fair Lady of the Western Montana Fair; and Lake County Senior Citizen of the year in 1988. From 1969 to 1978, she was supervisor of the Day Care Center in Arlee and was a member of the Save the Children Federation.

Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 21, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Arlee. Inurnment will follow at the Jocko Cemetery.

The family suggests donations to Arlee Senior Citizens, P.O. Box 392, Arlee, MT 59821; Arlee Historical Society, P.O. Box 512, Arlee, MT 59821; the Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Arlee; or a charity of the donor's choice.

Foster & Durgeloh Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

The Missoulian
Missoula, Montana
December 19, 2004