My mother was born in Rigby, North Dakota on February 11, 1945, one of three children of Anton and Lostena Scheet. The family moved to East Helena in 1947, when she was two years old. There, she attended St. Anne’s Catholic School before going to high school in Helena.
She worked at a local Cottage Cafe restaurant, which was where she met my father, Mike Myrhow. They were married on Aug 11, 1962, at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in East Helena, then moved to Boulder and soon started a family. They had two sons, Stuart and Paul.
Mom worked at the Diamond “S” Ranch as a waitress, then started at the Boulder River School and Hospital. She started at the bottom in patient care and moved up the ranks to switchboard operator, payroll and HR clerk. She was recognized by the Montana National Guard for her hard work and dedication during a labor strike. She also helped run the family-owned business, MGM Computers, which was instrumental in bringing the first PC computers to rural schools thoughout Montana.
On June 25, 1982, her first and only grandchild was born: Monica Myrhow, a healthy baby girl. Mom was never the same, and a new chapter in her life began. She and my father followed their grandchild to Winnemucca, NV. There, she found work as the HR director at Winners Casino. She enjoyed the job and loved helping the employees. She had a passion for helping people find work. She knew it was the key to success. She would give anyone a chance and would often call the local probation department asking if anyone needed a job. She was an honest and fair person, and she always knew the key was to treat people with kindness.
But amid her professional life, Mom alway found time for her granddaughter. She made the trip to the Carson City, Nevada to watch Monica run past the capital holding the Olympic Torch for the Salt Lake Winter Games. She watched when Monica became Homecoming Queen. There were many events; family was always the priority.
She was a world traveler, from Paris to Turkey. She was never one to take pictures, instead just collecting a few post cards from her journeys. She kept a recipe box full of postcards, and for her, it was true: a picture said a thousand words.
After retirement, Mom and Dad spent winters in Yuma, Arizona. She was an avid reader and a big baseball fan. The San Francisco Giants held their spring training nearby, and she enjoy seeing them live. She was a dedicated Giants fan and never missed a game; in fact, she would arrange a trip based on which hotels had her baseball channel. She also loved watching NASCAR — but as soon as her driver crashed, she was off reading another book.
Later, she became the great-grandma to Megan Belanger — and a new round of tea parties, shopping and card games began. She loved to play cards with Megan, pretending to be a sore looser. She would let Megan go shopping in the pantry, making a list and pretending to be the store keeper. Mom was teacher of many, always sharing her passion.
To bring family together Mom would always invite anyone to a game of hearts or pinochle. It was fun to watch the family gather at the table for a friendly card game. Family was very important to her; she was the leader, and she would keep the light on and always kept us in her prayers.
