Inez May Elliott, 94, died peacefully in her sleep on May 23, 2024. She arrived as a special blessing the day after Christmas, 1929. Henry Fred Jaekel delivered his daughter Inez to his delighted wife Sophie Marie Sandau on the family’s Minnesota farm. Since the country school teacher lived with them, Inez learned to read at an early age 4. Throughout her long life she never stopped reading her hometown newspaper, the Frazee Forum.

A young Inez left home for a start to college and then employment at Western Union in St. Paul. There she met a talented army veteran, Robert “Bob” Elliott and was joined blissfully with him in holy matrimony March 25th, 1950, on a planned wedding excursion to Iowa with friends. Their earliest home was in the Minneapolis suburb of Mounds View, where Bob and Inez were blessed with five children. They relocated the family to Santa Clara, CA in 1962, when Bob accepted employment with Lockheed.

After retirement, Bob and Inez decided to relocate to scenic Oro Fino Gulch near Helena, MT, in 1985. Two daughters, Ginger (Greg) Morgus and Pam (Bob) Worthy, had already settled their families in Helena.  Son Hamilton (& Gina’s) Lutheran wedding took place on a hillside in Oro Fino Gulch. Later, son John (Melora) and family moved from CA to Belgrade, MT. Only daughter, Gwen (Joe) Chui and family remained in CA; but Bob & Inez always made frequent jaunts to see them! Inez enjoyed volunteering at church, reading, gardening, sewing, baking bread and constantly serving her husband and family. She was an important Christian influence in the lives of many children.

When her husband, Bob,  passed to Heaven Aug. 27th, 2017, after over 67 years of marriage, Inez continued to live at their convenient in-town Helena residence on Oregon St. for awhile. Then in 2019, she happily moved to assisted living at Helena’s Touchmark for five years. Finally, Inez spent 2 enjoyable weeks in rehab at Cooney Healthcare.