Wadine Huntley Cummins

PORT TOWNSEND, Wash. - A remarkable Montana family lost its last member when Wadine Huntley Cummins passed away peacefully from natural causes on April 2, 2012, in Port Townsend, Wash. She was 98. Born Feb. 11, 1914, on the Huntley ranch in Saco, Mont., to Percy (Pat) and Blanche Huntley, she was the second of four siblings: Chet, the noted radio and television news anchor (The Huntley-Brinkley Report), Marian (Turner) and Margaret (Shutes), all of whom preceded her in death. She graduated from Whitehall High School and attended Montana State College where she played women's basketball and was a member of the Phi Beta Phi sorority and became a member of Eastern Star. She was married to Butte native Lt. Tristram James Cummins at Crow Agency in 1937. In 1940, when Lt. Cummins was called to active duty, she began life as a military spouse. When Colonel Cummins retired in the late 60s, the couple moved to Rapid City, S. D., where they narrowly escaped death in the infamous 1972 Rapid City flood. After Col. Cummins' passing in 1984, she moved back to Montana to live in Absarokee. In 2006, she moved to Port Townsend to be near her son Gary and his wife Diana (Vera) Cummins. Her cinnamon rolls were always a favorite among family and friends at special occasions. She loved challenging games and mastered many, including mah-jongg, for which she wrote the rules book for the Air Force players group, and bridge where she was a sought after partner. Wadine loved vegetable gardening and took pride in her harvests. She played golf for years and was also an accomplished knitter and quilter. She acquired a life long love of baseball from her husband who was a minor league pitcher before World War II. In her later years she became a dedicated Seattle Mariners fan.

Wadine is remembered as a loving, kind, and tolerant wife and mother, a cancer survivor, noted for her sense of humor, and strong determination. She is survived by her two sons, Gary T. Cummins, of Port Townsend, Wash., and James H. Cummins of Spring, Texas, and their wives Diana and Vera respectively; nine grandchildren - Gavin, Travis, Robert, Corbett, Tatiana, Brandon, Chet, Tristram, and Alexis; four great-grandchildren and nine nieces and nephews.

A private service will be held at the Kinkade Funeral Chapel on April 23, followed by burial at the Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis, S. D. A family memorial service will be held in Bozeman later this summer. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the American Cancer Society, https://www.cancer.org/involved/donate/donateonlinenow/index.