- Date Of Birth: February 8, 1928
- Date Of Death: February 12, 2010
- State: Montana
Beverly Ann Sankovic, 81, passed away on Friday, February 12, 2010 at the Kalispell Regional Medical Center in Kalispell, Montana. She was born on August 2, 1928 in Sanish, North Dakota to August and Leota (Peterson) Meyers.
Bev grew up in Sanish, North Dakota, a town of about 500 residents. Her mother was a stay at home mom on the farm. Her father was a farmer and eventually became a traveling office supply salesman. She was the fourth of six children in the family that included three older sisters, a younger brother and a younger sister. Bev attended grades 1-12 at the school in town which was about two miles from the farm house where she was raised.
As a child growing up a on farm, Bev was expected to help with the morning chores before leaving for school. The chores consisted of milking the cows, separating the milk and feeding the pigs. Often the temperature in North Dakota got below zero making the walk to school a bit of a challenge. These extreme conditions cause her to become quite creative in the effort to fight the cold. She found that scarves would freeze to their faces, so Bev and her siblings would place a cardboard box over their head for some protection.
Prior to her move from North Dakota to Montana Bev got a teaching degree at Minot State Teacher’s College in Minot, North Dakota. After the move to Montana she was a teacher for one year at a small school (Boorman School).
Bev married Joe Sankovic on November 6, 1972 in Couer d’Alene, Idaho. They enjoyed more than 35 years together. Her friends and family will so miss the “sick presents”, her famous potato salad and meatballs which a sure bet she would be invited to parties if she brought them.
Her perseverance showed by raising three daughters alone and working two full time jobs. She was the epitome of a role model.
She worked as a credit and customer service representative for Pacific Power and Light, as well as in a real estate office and then she would go to work at Hennesey’s from six in the evening until the early hours of the morning.
Bev was a member of the First Baptist Church in Kalispell, as well as a board member of Energy Share.
To quote Bev, “my humble advice and message for the younger generation would be to work as long as you possibly can, listen to and take heed of what your elders have to say for they can be great mentors. I urge you, above all, to love and take care of each other”.
She was preceded in death by her husband Joe Sankovic, her parents, two sisters, Betty Dinwoodie and Ardelle Sorenson and her in laws, Clark and Evelyn Mason.
She is survived by her three daughters, Patty Fisher and husband Phil, Pam Berry and husband Buzz of Kalispell, MT and Paula Mattern and husband Brian of Olney, MT; step-daughter Ruth Greco of N.J.; step-son Michael Sankovic of HI; 12 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren; brother Larry Meyers of WA; sisters, Marilyn Ellingson and Sharon Driscoll both of WA as well as wonderful and supportive friends too numerous to name.
