Patsy Louise Shute
June 29, 1943 - October 14, 2021
Patsy Louise (Kelly) Shute of Helena, MT passed away peacefully in her home, surrounded by her family on Thursday, October 14th. She was 78 years old.
Patsy was born on June 29, 1943, in Townsend, MT to Ronald and Dorothy (Smith) Kelly. She met the love of her life, Leo G. Shute of White Sulphur Springs, MT, in 1958. They were married and spent the majority of their lives together in Helena, MT. November 2nd would have been their 63rd anniversary. They also lived in Frankfort, Germany after Leo was drafted into the army in 1960 where their eldest son John, was born. All of their other children were born in Helena including son David, daughter Lisa, and youngest son Danny. Patsy was a loving mother and her family's biggest advocate. She would go to battle to defend or take care of any of her children or grandchildren.
Patsy worked as a Helena area Tupperware manager for over 30 years where she was well known and formed many lasting friendships. Her children couldn't go anywhere in town without running into someone who knew them through the stories told by their mom during Tupperware parties. After retiring from her Tupperware career she worked at Helena Photography as a receptionist. Patsy enjoyed her work because she loved meeting new people. She will be remembered for her warm smile, wonderful sense of humor, and her ability to light up a room with laughter, joyful conversation, and a feeling of sincere friendship. Her closest group of friends (The Sisterhood) lovingly called her "Mouth". They bestowed this name upon her due to her never running out of something to talk about. She was a great lover of turtles, fairies, and animals. She always had pets throughout her life, including dogs, cats, birds, and turtles. Her latest "babies", Honeybun and Snoopy, will miss her and Leo promised to take care of them in her absence. She loved to read and play cards. An entire bedroom in the house was dedicated to shelves of hundreds of books and she had read them all. At every family gathering, she and Leo would start up a Pinochle game. The family would play for hours together. At home, Patsy and Leo would play Rummy together. She kept a log of who won each game and liked to gloat when she was ahead. She loved camping, going to the lake, and swimming. Every summer was spent camping at Canyon Ferry Lake with friends and family. She was also a member of the American Legion Auxiliary Post 42 in Townsend, MT for over twenty years.
Patsy is survived by her husband Leo, and her children, son John (Felicia) Shute of Helena, son David (Suzie) Shute of Helena, and daughter Lisa (Bob) Scott of Helena, her 8 grandchildren; and her 14 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by numerous family and friends who she loved and fulfilled her life. She is preceded in death by her parents Ron and Dora Kelly of Townsend; her son Daniel Shute of Helena; her sister Dorothy (Kitty) Sickich of Helena and her brother Dennis (Pete) Kelly of Missoula.
Patsy's ashes will be at home with her husband Leo until they can be interred together for eternal rest. A celebration of Patsy's life is scheduled at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 80 E. Lawrence St. Helena, MT 59601 on October 29th at 1:00 PM for all to attend. Memorials may be sent to St. Paul's UMC, 512 Logan Street, Helena, MT 59601 or at their website https:/hummchurch.org and to Lewis & Clark Humane Society, PO Box 4455, Helena, MT 59602 or at their website https:/lchsmontana.org