Patricia Kay Gilman, 79, passed away in the early morning of Friday, April 8,, 2022, at the Tender Nest Assisted Living Facility, in Billings, Mont., under hospice care.
Cremation has taken place with interment and a memorial service is planned for Friday, July 22, at 1 p.m., where she will be put to rest aside her husband Leonard at the Fort Harrison Veterans Cemetery in Helena, Mont.
Pat was the sixth of 12 children born to Henry and Lillian (Fortin) Hanson on March 11, 1943. She was raised in Malta, Mont., and attended Malta Schools.
Pat married Leonard Gilman on May 27, 1961, and they made their home in Glasgow, Mont., raising two children: Barry and Corey. While in Glasgow, Pat worked for the school district as a noon aide and in the evening cleaned the Smith Clinic and First (National) - Community Bank. She had many friends and enjoyed going to sporting events, motocross races and the Elks Club functions. She had a laugh easily heard in the background of any telephone conversation. She could make conversation with anyone.
In October of 1990, she and Leonard moved to Billings and while missing the community, found new friends, a large yard to maintain and lots of shopping stores. Her and her sisters had several gatherings in the Bear Paw Mountains and the laughs could be heard from Havre. She really enjoyed her sisters and the time she spent with them. She was a person early to rise and late to go to bed. She loved rising early and having breakfast and coffee with friends. As a child of 12, one knew where her ambitions came from as her work ethic was impeccable. She lost Leonard to a courageous nine month battle with cancer in 2004, but lived in her home until late in life. In the spring of 2021, she suffered a stroke and spent a few months at St. Johns rehabbing before entering Tender Nest Assisted Living in June of 2021.
She was preceded in death by her parents Henry / Lillian and husband Leonard as well as her siblings, Betty Lou, Billy, JoAnn, Phyllis, Jerry and Barb.
Pat is survived by her sons Barry (JoAnn) Gilman and Corey (Dawn) Gilman; grandchildren, Nathan, Aaron, Kaleigh, Ashley and Tyler; and siblings, Eugene, David, Rosie, Connie and Greta.
Condolences can be left at: http://www.cfgbillings.com/obituaries.
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