Genie Garfield

BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Genie May Garfield, 82, died April 20, 2004, at Bear Creek Respite Care Center in Bozeman.

She was born in Forsyth, on June 28, 1921, the only child of Malcolm (Mac) and Edith May Cox (May) Philbrick. She was the second baby born in the Rosebud County Hospital. Mrs. Garfield was raised on the Howard and Butte ranches on the Rosebud Creek where her father raised sheep and cattle with his parents.

She attended first grade in Forsyth where she lived with her aunt and uncle, Fred and Wana Cox. Her mother, May, was so lonesome for her daughter that she started the Philbrick School on the Rosebud so she could come home. She attended the small country school for her remaining grade school years often riding her horse to school.

Mrs. Garfield attended high school in Forsyth where she graduated in 1938 at the age of 16. Again, she lived away from home with the Marcellus family during this part of her schooling. She attended Montana State College in 1938 and 1939. There she became a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority, an association she cherished throughout her life.

In 1940, she moved to Northfield, Minn., where she worked in the admissions office of Carlton College. In 1941, she began work in Spokane, Wash., at Second Air Force headquarters. In 1942, the unit moved to Salt Lake City and later returned to Spokane. She served as secretary to several officers during her career with the Civil Service.

On May 11, 1943, she married Major Russell Merritt Garfield at Fort George Wright chapel in Spokane. They spent their honeymoon traveling by train to Washington, D.C., where he received his orders to go overseas. She went on to New York City where she met two of her sisters-in-law for the first time in the lobby of the Commodore Hotel. The city was in a blackout. The three women went on to Hinsdale, N.H., the Garfield's home, where she stayed for part of the time while he was away. She also returned to the ranch on the Rosebud Creek during the war.

In 1945, Mr. Garfield was discharged and they moved to Hinsdale where he was the manager of the Ashuelot Paper Company. In 1952, their only child, Debra Jane, was born. She was very active in community interests in Hinsdale. She was a Girl Scout leader, a volunteer for the Red Cross, a member of Eastern Star, Hinsdale Women's Club, and she was the Republican Party chairwoman in Hinsdale.

She also devoted many years to the Hinsdale school system serving on the planning board and as chairwoman of the school board for eight years. The couple spent nearly 30 years in New England where they had many friends and relatives. All the time, she maintained an active role in her father's ranch, the Diamond Ranch, and she returned to Montana nearly every summer.

In 1973, Mr. Garfield retired and they fulfilled her dream of returning to Montana. They took over the operation of the Diamond Ranch following her father's death. She was a charter member of the Northern Plains Resource Council and served on its board. She was president of Rosebud Protective Association.

Additionally, she served on the Rosebud County Planning Board, the Rosebud County Literacy Council and she was a board member of First Interstate Bank in Colstrip. She loved animals and there was hardly a time in her life when she didn't own a dog and several cats. She was a skilled horsewoman, knowledgeable rancher, and a good steward of the land.

In 1982, Mr. Garfield died and she remained on the Diamond Ranch until 2001 when health issues made it necessary for her to move nearer her daughter and family.

During her stay at Bear Creek Respite Care Center, she challenged her caregivers with her determination and evoked a chuckle with her wit and sense of humor. She unfailingly asked every day about her grandson, Tyler, while he was away at school. Foremost on her mind was the operation of her beloved ranch.

Mrs. Garfield is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Debby and Jim Bangs of Bozeman; a grandson, Tyler, also of Bozeman; a sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Shirley and George Hanna of Keene, N.H.; a brother-in-law, Dr. John Worden of Brattleboro, Vt.: a brother-in-law, Ralph Burnham, of Phoenix, Ariz.; her loyal ranch managers, the Davenport family of Forsyth; nieces and nephews; a cousin, Janet Davies of Plockton, Scotland; and a cousin, Peter Kelsey of Surrey, England.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Mrs. Garfield's name may be made to the Northern Plains Resource Council or the Rosebud Protective Association, 2401 Montana Ave., #200, Billings, MT 59101; the Rosebud County Animal Shelter, Box 597, Colstrip, MT 59323; or the Russell M. Garfield Memorial Scholarship Fund at Dartmouth College, Office of Endowment Administration, 7 Lebanon St. #307, Hanover, NH 03755.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, April 24, at 11 a.m. at Stevenson and Sons Funeral Home in Forsyth.u