Obituaries

Inga M. Bergene passed away peacefully in Billings on April 18, 2012, surrounded by her loving family, at the age of 98. She was born on Feb. 24, 1914 in Blatchford, MT to Jacob and Ragnhild Fladmo. She arrived 5 minutes before her twin, Tena, and was proud to be the eldest of 6 children. She grew up in Sidney, MT and graduated from high school there. Inga married Elling Bergene on July 3, 1936 and had two children, son Orland and daughter Karolyn. They lived in Sidney and Savage before moving to Circle in 1947, where Elling was Section Foreman for the railroad. They lived there until his retirement in 1970 when they moved to Billings to be near their children. Sadly their retirement was interrupted by Elling’s untimely death in 1971. Fortunately they were able to make three trips to Norway, their ancestral homeland, before his passing. Inga kept busy making quilts, afghans, and many other handwork projects for her family and friends. She was active in her church, Bethlehem Lutheran. She was also active in the Sons of Norway as she was very proud of her Norwegian heritage. She volunteered at the Western Heritage Center and was Key Lady at St. John’s Lutheran Home for 12 years. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her three brothers, two sisters and her daughter-in-law, Judy Bergene. She is survived by her son, Orland, and her daughter, Karolyn (Rex) Smith: her granddaughters, Teri (Lester Hankes) and Jana Bergene, grandsons< Craig (Tracy) Smith and Steven Bergene: greatgrandchildren, Seth and Devan Welborn, Amy (Greg) Helstrup and Colton Smith; and 1 great great granddaughter, Holly Helstrup. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Vi Fladmo, and many nieces and nephews.