Dorothy Jean Heath-Sturm 1940 - 2019

SEELEY LAKE - On Sunday, June 16, Dorothy, loving wife, mother and grandmother went to be with our Heavenly Father. She was 78 years old.

Dorothy was born the seventh of 12 children, on Nov. 4, 1940 in Belgrade, Mont. to Ira and Juanita Kidney/Croston. She grew up and went to school in Manhattan, Mont.

During that time she met her first husband Robert Edward Heath. They were married on May 30, 1957. They spent the first years of their marriage in the Manhattan area raising four daughters.

From there, they moved to Renton, Wash. where they spent the next 30 years working and raising children. Robert worked for the Boeing Company and Dorothy ran her own housecleaning business.

In 1994, they both retired and moved back to Montana to the Seeley Lake area, initially running the Kozy Korner Bed and Breakfast before they moved to Double Arrow. Dorothy loved Seeley Lake and has spent the last 25 years here making lasting friendships and becoming an integral part of the community. Dorothy was instrumental in opening and running the Loving Hearts Thrift Store, which she absolutely loved.

Dorothy was preceded in death by: her parents; her youngest daughter Edie in 1987; her husband Robert in 2008; brothers Marvin, Bobby, John and Eddie; and sisters Virginia Fullerton and Patricia Ross.

Dorothy met and married Wayne Sturm in 2012, and they also made their home in Seeley Lake.

She is survived by her husband Wayne; three children Debbie, Barb and Cathy; her oldest granddaughter Jennifer who she also raised as a daughter; 36 grandchildren and great grandchildren; an endless number of friends and countless nieces and nephews.

Dorothy was a strong woman of faith, even when enduring the many trials and tribulations of life, she remained steadfast, strong and faithful to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She enjoyed family, friends, traveling, camping, sewing, gardening, cooking, baking, volunteering and so much more.

You could always count on Dorothy, willing to help in any and every way she could, a woman with tremendous humility who always put others needs before her own. We cannot imagine the number of lives she impacted in some way throughout her lifetime. Whether you just met her or knew her your whole life, you instantly knew you were in the presence of a special woman.

We have lost a legend, and Heaven has gained an angel. Our wife, mother, grandmother and friend will be greatly missed, never forgotten and forever hold a special place in our hearts.

A graveside service for family will be held at the Seeley Lake Cemetery at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 22. A memorial service will immediately follow at the Seeley Lake Community Hall at 11 a.m. Please come join us to celebrate the life of this beautiful woman - our hero, our role model and our rock.

In lieu of flowers, Dorothy has requested donations be made to one of her favorite charities - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Children's Research Hospital or the Susan J. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.