Kitty Aletha Kolden, age 62, of Wolf Point, Mont., died at her home on Friday, April 3, 2026. She fought the good fight against a cancer she said had been trying to kill her for 19 months.
She was born June 4, 1963, the last of four children to Dewey and JoAnn Forsness of Wolf Point and she joined her siblings Layne, Penny, and Cindy on the family farm and ranch. As a child, Kitty often lamented that she was to have been born first and her siblings would not let her out. She was the namesake of her great-grandmothers Kitty Scott and Aletha Forsness and became the keeper of the family photos, home movies, and relationships with relatives and family friends.
At age 3, Kitty learned to read from the Great Falls Tribune taught by her grandmother, Nathalia Scott Mull. This started a lifetime of wanting to learn (and learning!) what things were and how they worked. Kitty earned an associate of arts degree in journalism from Williston State College before becoming an avid collector of many varied and interesting things. You could often find her at a yard sale, estate sale, auction sale, Goodwill or a campsite searching for rocks, bones and fossils. She had a keen eye for seeking out treasures, which developed into an interest in photography. She would lay in a snowy field to get a closeup picture of a badger or rooster pheasants in battle — a photo displayed in the Museum of Natural History in San Diego, Calif. Kitty also had her photos painted by longtime friend and artist Lance Johnson of Sunrise Studio & Art Gallery.
In 1997, Kitty met James Kolden and they were married that year. They enjoyed many adventures together traveling, camping, making new friends and watching the wildlife from the lanai.
Kitty is survived by her husband, James Kolden; siblings, Layne Forsness, Penny Vossler and Cindy Hanks; stepchildren, Tammi and Tina; nine nieces and nephews; and a multitude of friends who we are so grateful to for supporting Kitty in her final days.
You finally get to be first — spread your wings and fly sister.
(Paid Obituary)
