Esther Senne Obituary

Esther Senne Obituary

Esther Senne

MISSOULA - Esther Senne passed away at her home on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2003. She was born Esther LaVernne Bertsch on March 12, sometime between the years of 1922 and 1941, depending on who you talk to in Glen Ullin, N.D.

Esther was the fifth of nine children of Russian immigrants, Christ and Lydia Bertsch. She took to hoarding wind chimes and crystals at an early age. In her later years, Esther created a new hair dye that amazed and confounded the experts at its ability to keep hair black. Esther married Armin Carl Senne on May 23, 1942. The marriage got old in a hurry, but they stubbornly kept at it. When Armin left to fight in World War II, Esther kept up with the war effort through her subscription to STAR Magazine. Armin returned after the war and was shocked to find everything in the house spray painted gold.

The couple's first child, Donna, was born in 1946. She was a good daughter who always remembered to take her mother gambling on Saturday nights. Their second child, Gene, was born in 1947. He immediately left on a bail bond call. The family moved to Missoula in 1948 and set up shop on 14th Street. Armin went to work at White Pine Lumber and Sash and the children grew up surrounded by a large, close family that included Esther's sisters, Bertha, Rita, Emma, Katie and Millie, along with brothers Walter, Albert and Burton and their families.

Esther started dabbling in electricity and managed to install outlets and plugs around the house - a feat most housewives in the '50s did not accomplish. The residual effects would be felt in her later life when she found that merely sitting in front of a keno machine made it cough up $10s and $20s.

Esther was devoted to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She created holiday meals using recipes that have yet to be duplicated. Armin passed away in 1998 and Esther devoted herself even more to her family.

She is survived by sisters Katie Shilz and Millie DeClercq, brother Burton Bertsch and sister-in-law Olivia Bertsch, daughter Donna Friauf and husband Bob, son Gene Senne and wife Nancy, grandchildren Jackie Ellis, Teri Kuepfer, Robin Friauf, Bobby Friauf, Shad Senne, Kristal Cowart, Samantha Senne and great-grandchildren Amanda and Kelsey Ellis and Alek Eggett.

Memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Sunset Memorial on Mullan Road.