Helen E. "Betty" Sandvig

Helen Elizabeth "Betty" Breiter Sandvig

Helen Elizabeth "Betty" Breiter Sandvig was born on June 4, 1930, in Fort Benton, Montana, to Estella Miley Breiter and William Emil Breiter. She was raised on the Miley Homestead ten miles east of Fort Benton, where she grew up surrounded by family, hard work, and the beauty of Montana's prairie. Betty was a single child, but was raised with kindred cousins: Estella McClusky, John "Jack" Coady, and James "Jim" Coady.

Betty attended a one-room elementary school in Montague, where her mother was a teacher. She later graduated from Fort Benton High School in 1948. She continued her education at Western Montana College of Education in Dillon, Montana, graduating in 1950. While earning her degree, Betty fully enjoyed college life-especially dancing, cheerleading, and making lifelong friends.

In 1952, Betty married Hardy Sandvig. The couple settled in Fort Benton and started their family of four children. Betty and Hardy especially enjoyed dancing and playing cards together. Hardy passed away far too soon, after just 12 years of marriage. In the years that followed, Betty showed remarkable strength and determination-continuing her teaching career while raising four children and managing the family farm. Along the way she also opened her home and heart to help care for her cousin, Dennis Coady.

Betty had a lifelong love of teaching and taught in various capacities for over 30 years. She began her career in rural Montana, teaching in Pleasant Valley, Carter, and Fort Benton. She spent many years in the Great Falls School District, teaching 5th and 6th grades and working with gifted students in the PACE program. She obtained her Masters' Degree in Reading and then taught Title I. Even in retirement, Betty wasn't quite ready to leave the classroom behind; she found joy in teaching preschool in Geraldine, Montana. She will be remembered for her kindness, creativity, steady encouragement, and the many lives she touched along the way.

Betty loved to travel, quilt, and cheer enthusiastically for the Gonzaga basketball team. Long before health trends became fashionable, Betty was already ahead of the curve-championing exercise, good nutrition, and firmly insisting that the only bread worth eating was Great Harvest. Her faith was the steady thread woven through Betty's life. She believed deeply in the importance of church and made sure her children were in the pew on Sundays-no matter where the family happened to be. Ski trip? Vacation? It didn't matter. Betty found a church.

Betty died of natural causes on March 16, 2026. She is preceded in death by her husband, Hardy, parents Stella and Bill, and son, Ryan Sandvig. She is survived by her three daughters and their spouses, Rene and Hans Wendt of Bellingham, Washington, Rhonda and Terry DeBorde of Fort Benton, Montana, and April and Wayne Siebenaler of Portland, Oregon; daughter-in-law Sue Sandvig of Spokane, Washington; 10 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren, all of whom carry forward her resilience, honor, faith, and love of family.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to a charity of your choice or Chouteau County Performing Arts (CCPA), PO Box 1315, Fort Benton, MT 59442.

Internment will take place on March 19 with a private graveside service at Riverside Cemetery in Fort Benton. A Celebration of Life service will be held Thursday, March 19 at noon at the Community Bible Church in Fort Benton.