Red Lodge – Jeanne Carol Boulds, age 94, of Poplar, Mont., passed away peacefully Sunday, March 12, 2023, in Red Lodge, Mont., surrounded by family and in the care of her daughters.
The middle of three children, Jeanne was born Aug. 11, 1928, in Westby, Mont., to Elmer and Esther (Andersen) Bergh. She was delivered at home by her Danish grandmother Kirsten. Born with clubfeet, Jeanne spent time in the Minneapolis Shriners Children’s Hospital having surgeries and wearing casts.
Jeanne spent her childhood in Westby, Mont. When she was eleven, her father died. The family then moved to Vancouver, Wash., in the early ‘40s to work in a fruit-canning factory to support WWII efforts. Jeanne also volunteered at the Barnes General Hospital, visiting and helping with the veterans there.
The family made their way back to Montana after the war, and Jeanne graduated from Plentywood High School in 1946. She worked at the soda fountain counter at Plentywood Drug and met the love of her life at a dance at the Blue Moon. She wed Army CPL Raymond “Johnny” Boulds on Aug. 17, 1946, and they were married for 58 years until his death. Out of this union, they were blessed with 11 children. The story goes that Dad saw Mom through the window at Plentywood Drug and told his sister Mona that he was going to marry that girl. He was smitten with Jeanne from first sight and adored her for the rest of his life.
After Ray’s graduation from pharmacy school in Missoula, the family settled in Poplar, Mont., where they owned and ran Boulds Drugstore together for 56 years with Jeanne as the bookkeeper and President of Boulds Drug, Inc.
Jeanne played piano and had a beautiful voice and sang for many weddings, funerals, and special events. She volunteered many years for Chamber events, as an election official, at the American Legion Club, and during Wild West Days. She won trophies for bowling and liked to meet with the Lutheran ladies for cards and coffee. She sewed and canned food from the family garden. She enjoyed road trips, traveling to visit family, and taking vacations. In her later years, she and Dolores would take little road trips to get her hair done, play cards, and have lunch at the café. She enjoyed doing daily crosswords in pen and loved to play Scrabble, winning almost every game. She played and won her last Scrabble game two weeks prior to her death.
Even though she was not quite 5’ tall, she was a spitfire and the rock of the family. She never forgot a birthday or an anniversary, and loved all her grandchildren immensely. She cared for her family her whole life and never turned away any of her children in need. She loved her family unconditionally.
She is survived by her 11 children: Muriel (Russell) Smith of Texas, Aileen Edwards of Billings, John and Mike of Poplar, Donna (Robert) Ranf of Missoula, Patricia (John) Toavs of Wolf Point, Laurel Boulds-Fisk of Washington, Raymond “Jeff” of Nevada, Robert (Rachel) of Utah; and her caregivers for the last three years, Dolores and Barrie of Red Lodge; 24 grandchildren; 33 great-grandchildren; 12 great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. She is also survived by her favorite maltipoo, Lola, who was by her side for 14 years.
Her husband, parents and sisters, Mildred and Barbara, preceded her in death.
The family would like to thank the staff of Red Lodge Billings Clinic Hospice and the volunteers for the wonderful care and love they gave to our mom at the end of her life. A special thank you to grandkids, Sydney and Ryan, for all the help and care they gave us and Grandma this past year. A heartfelt thank you to Dolores for her friendship, companionship, and care of Mom for all these years.
A private family service and burial will be held Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023, at 11 a.m. in Plentywood, Mont.
In lieu of flowers, we ask that you please donate to the Shriners Hospitals for Children, a non-profit near and dear to Mom’s heart, https:// donate.lovetotherescue.org. Cards can be sent in c/o to Patricia Toavs, 400 Dayton St., Wolf Point, MT 59201.
(Paid Obituary)
