Janis Carol McInerney

Janis Carol (Koski) McInerney, 65, passed away peacefully while receiving treatment for lung cancer in Billings, Mont., on Oct. 9, 2014.

She was born on Oct. 17, 1948, in Glasgow, the fourth of four kids. Growing up on the farm saw her intensely love animals and detest the taste of lamb. After graduating from Hinsdale High School, she left for new experiences in Washington, D.C., working at the FBI in the 31st year of J. Edgar Hoover as FBI director. With her fill of political intrigue, she returned to Montana one year later.

Back in Montana, she found a scruffy Marine named Robert "Bob" McInerney, and married him in Great Falls on May 20, 1971. They moved from Glasgow to Ft. Peck, and began a family. After 11 years, two kids, one dog and one cat (that lived to the legal human drinking age), they moved to Cheyenne, Wyo., where Bob advanced within the federal government and Jan volunteered for a wide range of organizations.

Tired of paying sales tax and missing Montana, the whole family relocated to Helena two years later.

Her children were firmly enrolled in school and she returned to the workforce. Her final resume is a jambalaya of jobs working for retail, private business, county, and state agencies, dearly appreciating the new friends and colleagues she made at each one.

If love of her family came first, then love of her pugs came a close second. Visitors drank coffee from pug mugs, viewed pug calendars, and understood seating preference was granted to her four-legged favorites.

Survivors include her husband, Bob; two children, JuDee and Tim; three grandsons, Connor, Michael and Liam; and two siblings, JuDee Blokus and Jerry Koski.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.