Elva Aileen Sundberg Blaz

Elva Aileen Sundberg Blaz, 87, went to the Lord and to be with family and friends on the night of June 9, 2017 with her daughter Bonny at her bedside. Elva was born on May 16, 1930 in Anaconda, Montana. She grew up in Opportunity with two brothers (Vernon and Carl) one Sister (Leola) and parents (Aili and Percy) on the family farm. In 1932-1933 during the depression, Percy moved Vernon, Elva and Aili to the Keto homestead near Geyser, MT in order to find work and this is where Leola, Elva's sister was born. In late 1933 the family moved back to Opportunity and later her brother Carl came along. Elva went to school at Beaver Dam School and in Anaconda where she graduated in 1948. After graduation, she attended Western Montana College in Dillon for two years before meeting William (Bill) Blaz and getting married on November 5, 1950, making their home on the East side of Anaconda where Jenny was born on October 5, 1951 and Bonny on September 22, 1952. Elva and Bill bought their first home on West Third in 1961, where Elva lived until 2005. Elva had the most beautiful flower beds on the block! And took meticulous care of them and her garden harvests were always abundant which she canned and made delicious meals for anyone who was visiting. Elva always had sourdough starter in the fridge and loaves of bread on the counter for you to enjoy along with gallon jars of different kinds of cookies in the freezer to raid for a snack. Besides being a home maker, wife, and mother, she would take in sewing and clean houses for extra funds. Elva was also always there to lend a helping hand to her folks, mother-in-law, or anyone else as needed throughout the years. She was always ready to rescue her daughters when they needed help with her grandchildren or just to follow an activity the kids were doing and to sew up a new matching outfit for her grandchildren. Elva was very active in 4-H first as a member when young and later a leader of Jenny and Bonny's club. Many hours were spent overseeing projects for her daughters and other club members. The highlight of Elva's 4-H involvement was her first airplane trip ever and going to Washington DC. Many family members still have copies of the 4-H cookbook she helped to compose, and that hold some of her recipes. While her daughters were in college, Elva still sewed and clean houses to send a little extra spending money to her daughters. Elva was an avid crafter through all the years, braiding bolo ties, beaded necklaces from cord, sewing neck coolers, and doing beautiful detailed chalked ceramics. Elva gained two son-in-laws one, on March 18, 1972 when Jen and Frank were married and then a second, when Bon and Bill were married on June 29, 1974. After her daughters moved to other areas Elva became active in Grange enjoying trips to places she had never traveled to before outside of the state of Montana. She was always chattering about Alaska on the tour boat, Disneyland where she rode the ride with her grandson, Byron. She was a spunky lady and had the time of her life there. She was always ready to help at the Food Booth for the Grange either at the Deer Lodge Fair or Art in the Park. Elva belonged to the Lutheran Church where there was a lot of pasty making over the years and joined the Anaconda Community Choir. Then came her "monkeying" around!! With a good supply of Rockford Socks the monkey business grew for Elva. These monkeys fit her personality of always giving and taking care of others and her feisty, playful personality. Elva continued making monkeys through the years until she got sick and entered Genesis Nursing Home in 2016 she made 100's for people and sold many at craft fairs. "Except" for the special ones, which were for her grandchildren (Georgette, Byron, Peter, and Ryan, and great- grandchildren (Owen, Trigg, Eva, Kanin, and Tinley). During all this time Elva also kept notes everywhere, on the calendar, in small notebooks, and on little slips of paper of what was happening in her life, along with her fast, long lasting Sharpie for labeling and dating everything that came into the house. She was quick with the Sharpie so watch out, you could have a date on you also if you stayed to long. Elva enjoyed special memories with visits, road trips, and holidays. On May 16, 2017, she was excited about sharing her birthday with her newest great-granddaughter, Tinley. Elva lost her husband to cancer on September 12, 1996, later sold the house, and moved to an apartment on the East side until her health slipped and moved into assisted living. She eventually entered the nursing home in Butte, where Bonny had help with checking on her from niece and nephew, Teri and Terry Bartle. On July 14, 2016 Elva's daughter Jenny passed away. On May 2, 2017, Bonny was finally able to move her to Powell, WY to be closer for daily visits. Bonny and Elva enjoyed one wonderful month of mother/daughter talks and being together daily, even sharing that they were both bionic now with Bonny getting a new knee. Elva is survived by Bonny (Bill) Rouse of Powell, WY, granddaughter Georgette (Josh) Jordening of Gering, NE, grandsons Byron, (Jacque) Rouse of Huntley, MT, Ryan Votapka of Bozeman, MT, son-in-law Frank Votapka of Libby, MT great-grandchildren Owen, Trigg, Eva, Kanin, and Tinley, sister Leola of Missoula, MT; Auntie Alice (Ben); along with many nieces and nephews and great/great-great nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband Bill and his parents, daughter Jenny, grandson Peter, parents Aili and Percy, brothers Vernon and Carl, nephews: Tim Bartle, Jim and Joe Drakos, and Bobby Bizjak, sister-in-laws: Eva (Jim) Bartle, Jo (Frank) Bizjak, Rena (Pete) Drakos, and Carol and Phyllis Sundberg. Visitation will be held at Longfellow Finnegan Riddle Funeral Home on Wednesday, June 21, 2017 starting at 6:00 p.m. with the Grange Service beginning at 7:00 p.m. Funeral Services will be held at the Hope Lutheran Church on Thursday, June 22, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. with one hour of visitation prior to the service.

Visitation

JUN 21. 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM (MDT)

Longfellow Finnegan Riddle Funeral Home 107 Oak St. Anaconda, MT 59711

Grange Service

JUN 21. 7:00 PM (MDT)

Longfellow Finnegan Riddle Funeral Home 107 Oak St. Anaconda, MT 59711

Visitation

JUN 22. 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM (MDT)

Hope Lutheran Church 1506 W. Pennsylvania Ave. Anaconda, MT

Service

JUN 22. 11:00 AM (MDT)

Hope Lutheran Church 1506 W. Pennsylvania Ave. Anaconda, MT