BETTY JOE LORRAINE (MASON) SALVAGNI

On November 8, 2016 Betty Jo Lorraine (Mason) Salvagni went home to be with our Lord to begin a new life with her deceased loved ones in heaven.

Recently, Betty ("Mom") was asked, "What would you like said about your life?" She replied, "She was born; she lived; she died; and she had a good life." This was a humble statement by someone who through her life touched so many lives with her beautiful caring and loving spirit. Betty knew and understood that the longer one lives, the more the person will witness many good things and losses of family and friends. Her life was a testimony of successes and trials that can come into one's life.

To know Betty was to love her. She had a special way of displaying love and kindness to all who met her. At her 90th birthday party in 2011 this was evident by the huge outpouring of family, friends and neighbors who attended and acknowledged this momentous age goal in her life. That event was a mere reflection of her wonderful personality. Most recently, the love and kindness was felt by her many visitors and caretakers in the nursing home. She will be deeply missed, but her spirit will live with all of us until we all gather and joyfully reunite in a new world promised to us by Our Lord and Savior.

Betty (the first of four children) was welcomed into this world on January 12, 1921, in Galena, Kansas by her proud parents Ed Mason and May (Carriger) Mason. When Betty was nine months old, Ed and May, with their new baby girl moved to Butte, Montana. Betty spent most of her childhood and teen years growing up in a home on the road going to the Columbia Gardens at a spot known as the "5 cent limit." Betty attended the Harrison and Greeley Schools and graduated from the Grant Grade School. In 1940, Betty graduated from Butte High School. For two years she worked at the Park Theater as an usherette, a job she was very proud of doing. She also worked at Woolworth's and the Green Café. In 1943, Betty moved to Bremerton, Washington where she worked as a telephone operator for one year.

On November 3, 1945, Betty's life changed when she married the "love of her life," Art Salvagni. A few years earlier, Betty met Art at the Golden Sunlight Mine near Whitehall, Montana. Betty lived at the Golden Sunlight with her Uncle Herb and Aunt Minnie and took care of their 2 young daughters while they worked the mine. Art was employed at the mine. Before marriage, Betty had waited for Art for 3 1/2 years while Art served in the Army Air Corps in Africa during World War II.

After their marriage, Art and Betty lived in Butte for three years. In 1950, they moved to Walkerville where they raised their three sons in a very loving and nurturing home. Mom loved to cook. She ironed all of the families' clothes. She made Dad's work lunches. She clothed her three little boys in shirts and ties for special occasions, dressed them in cowboy outfits for the Fourth of July parade and made sure they behaved in church. She supported all of their activities and taught them the values of caring for others and good work ethics. Mom was the perfect role model. She excelled at being a wife, mother and friend.

While living in Walkerville, Art and Betty met many new neighbors and made many new friendships. Betty enjoyed her sewing club and church study groups. In 1971, Betty went to work as a dispatcher for the Montana Power Company a job she held for 17 years. Again, from her work she acquired many new friends, whom she held dear to her heart. After her retirement she maintained close contact with her fellow workers.

On July 14, 1989, Art passed away. In 1997, Betty moved to Whitehall to reside on the Salvagni Ranch, where Art grew up. As was her social style, Betty made many new friends. Betty was an active member of St. Theresa of Avila Catholic Parish in Whitehall. She held her church family very close to her heart. One of her hobbies in her new community became bi-weekly card games of Shanghai rummy on most Wednesdays and Sunday afternoon, normally played at the A&W. Betty and her friends shared conversation, lunch and pennies. Mom would never fail to boast about how many games she won!

Mom enjoyed having a good time and socializing. If a person visited her home, the person usually could not leave without at least a cup of coffee. She enjoyed having her family around her and celebrating all of the holidays and birthdays. She also enjoyed a good whiskey ditch.

Mom had a special devotion to Mary, the Mother of Jesus. She prayed the rosary daily using the beads to guide her in her prayers. When she lived in Whitehall she did not have cable TV. After moving to the nursing home, she continued her daily rosary prayer, but then it became physically difficult for her to use the beads. She soon learned about the EWTN channel and prayed the rosary with the nuns on the TV. Then the channel would change to the Golden Girls, a show she loved to watch and fall to sleep with.

"She was born; she lived; she died; and she lived a good life." To complete the story of her life, she touched many, many lives. Her legacy is a life well lived with beauty, grace, dignity, generosity and love!

Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Art, her son Donald ("Donnie"), her parents, Ed and May, sisters, Melva Stevenson and Shirley Caros, brother, Phillip Mason, nephews Eddy Ralph, Mac Caros and Jim Caros, niece, Valerie Mason, many aunts, uncles, brothers-in-law, cousins and friends.

Betty is survived by her son Mike Salvagni of Belgrade, Montana, son and daughter-in-law Tom and Sandi Salvagni of Whitehall, Montana, sister-in-law Rose Mason of Virginia City, Montana, five grandchildren, Michael Salvagni of Oregon, Brad (Dana) Salvagni of Butte, Becky Salvagni Booth of Butte, Jason Salvagni of Whitehall and Nicole Salvagni of Tempe, Arizona, two step granddaughters, Kari Hanson of Whitehall and Krista Hanson of Great Falls, eight great grandchildren, one great step grandson, and four great great grandchildren. She is also survived by her cherished friend of 79 years, Florence Best of Butte, a special cousin "niece to her" Kay Kelly of Butte, Montana and all of Kay's family, special nieces, Wanda Barlow of Centralia, Washington and Nickie Stevenson of Chehalis, Washington, and many more special cousins, nephews and nieces and friends.

Betty's family extends their profound gratitude to her caretakers and the staff at Copper Ridge Health and Rehabilitation Center, Butte, Montana, for the gentle and loving care provided to her during the last years of her life, to all of her health care providers, to her many wonderful visitors for making her stay at the nursing home more peaceful, comfortable and at times, even humorous, and Father Tom Haffey, pastor of St. Ann's Catholic Church in Butte for his many visits with her.