Elaine Virginia Bueling

Elaine Buck Bueling passed at the age of 87 on December 31, 2022 after several years of declining health and memory due to dementia. She was born in Hayden Lake, ID on Dec. 1, 1935, to Art and Dora Buck. Not long after that the family moved to Great Falls, MT.

After she had started her early education in Great Falls the family moved to a farm south of town and she completed her education through 8th grade at Truly School, which was a one room schoolhouse very near their home on Smith River. For high school she went by bus to Cascade and graduated in June of 1954. The fall of 1954 she started her college education at Montana State University where she met Gordon for the second time. They had previously started 1 grade together at Russell School in Great Falls. Elaine and Gordon were married on March 24, 1957.

While in high school she was very active in 4H and entered clothes she had sewn and she also showed cattle at the Great Falls Fair. She was an expert seamstress and made a large amount of the children's clothing and Gordon's shirts, skills that she passed down to her daughters. Another of her special talents was oil paintings. Elaine was a perfectionist in everything she did and held herself to very high standards, even to her final days in memory care when she would fold her napkin just so and make sure it was in the proper place.

Elaine was a long time member of Central Lutheran Church, Central Washington Studebaker Drivers Club and Yakima Valley Horseless Carriage Club.

After Gordon graduated in 1958 his career with the Federal Government took them to Chinook, MT, Browning, MT, Pendleton, OR, Yakima, WA, Riverside, CA, Lewistown, MT, and then back to Yakima, WA. With Gordon spending a considerable amount of time in travel status, the raising of the Children was pretty much left to Elaine.

Elaine is survived by her beloved husband Gordon, and their four children, Bob, Leah Clark (Tom), Pam Brooks (Kevin), and Dean (Gwen), 9 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, and 1 great, great granddaughter.

Elaine was preceded in death by her parents, Arthur and Dora Buck, and her brother Vincent Buck.

The family would like to thank everyone at Covenant House for the wonderful care that they provided for Elaine, and especially Katie Delquadri who provided an especially high level of caring and love and took time after her 12 hour work day to spend time with Elaine at the hospice care facility she was at.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to Central Lutheran Church, the Alzheimer's Association or the Charity of your choice.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.keithandkeith.com for the Bueling family.