Colleen Brien

Besides watching our beautiful courageous mother pass, one of the many hard things we had to do was sit down and try to compose a brief memoir of her life in the form of an obituary. Our mom and Kaale meant the world to us and so many others and there are not any words that can be written to encapsulate her true character and her beautiful soul. She had time to get ready and prepare herself for her journey to be with our heavenly father, but she also knew that our love for her was something that kept her going and fighting to be with us as long as possible here on earth. You see, she was selfless in her fight (as true with all aspects of her life) and even though she was in physical pain, she knew the emotional and overwhelming grief we would experience with her leaving us would be daunting. Because our mother had a strong connection with the Lord, she prepared us for this time by exhibiting her unwavering faith and creating a prayer culture that will be forever part of us all.

Although many people thought she was Crow, she was in fact Cree and Sioux from the Fort Peck Reservation and spent her childhood in Culbertson and later adolescence in Poplar. Our mother, Colleen Moran Brien was born in Poplar, Montana on August 21,1955 to Bernard and Shirley Moran. She passed on Monday morning, March 31, 2025 surrounded by her girls, husband, grandchildren and many other beloved family members. Kaale fought a courageous battle and stayed long enough to create even more memories and to prepare everyone for her journey home.

Colleen spent her childhood in Poplar where she was the oldest of her siblings, after her sister, Diane, made heaven her home at an early age. Mom was a humble woman with many great attributes, she has been described as “kind but sarcastic,smart but never arrogant or stuck up. She had a goodness in her, that was purely Colleen.” In high school she hung out with a group of girls called the “big 3”, because they were so tall. Mom traveled to Helena and was a page during the legislative session and garnered a lot of attention because she was one of first Natives in that role and also because of her beauty and height. It has been said that she didn't have any enemies, everyone adored her. Colleen was a tumbler and performed at basketball games during half time. One summer, she and a few of her closest friends hitchhiked to East Glacier and spent the summer working in a motel. Colleen also played the clarinet in pep band and years later when she had her own children she would play some of the pep band music and the school song which she remembered by heart. Mom had three younger brothers Wade, Scott and Shane and was like a second mother to them. They were a rambunctious bunch and many times she would lock them out of the house, until just before her parents were to arrive home.

Colleen left Poplar after graduation in 1973, to attend Eastern Montana College (EMC). One of her close friends, Rena, introduced her to her younger brother;our dad Curtis. They married in May of 1976 and together had four daughters: Gretchen, Jamie, Maria and Gabrielle. After several years of staying close to home to raise her girls, mom and dad decided to go back to school and each earned their degrees in education from EMC and later both received Masters degrees from the University of Montana.

Colleen started her teaching career in Busby and later went to Lodge Grass where she taught and counseled students for 35 years. After she decided to teach in Lodge Grass, she needed to have a copilot for her commute and recruited Gretchen to be in her car pool. Shortly after, the entire family moved to Lodge Grass where all the girls graduated and Curtis taught there as well. During her career, she made countless friends and met many coworkers that she would eventually take as sisters. As the guidance counselor, she played a vital role in the futures of students, too numerous to count. While being a guiding force for the kids, she was also a counselor and mentor to many coworkers. They continually sought her counsel because she was patient, kind, wise and always willing to listen. Her family will continue to cherish these relationships as their mother did.

In 1999, mom's true occupation came to fruition with the arrival of her first grandchildren, Jericho and Amaya.

Kaale was eventually blessed with 13 grandchildren and held on to see three of her great grandchildren. Kaale Colleen as she was affectionately called loved all her babies and went above and beyond for all of them. She enjoyed attending rodeos, powwows, hand games and other cultural events for her grandchildren. She especially loved watching them participate in sports: basketball, football, track & field, volleyball and cheerleading. Later, when she was too ill to attend in person, she would eagerly anticipate watching the games on NFHS.

Kaale had many talents; from beading to sewing, cooking and baking. She also enjoyed reading and never tired of watching her grandchildren's favorite shows with them. Although she was a humble woman, she would never admit to making the best fry bread. Relatives from near and far would talk about how no one makes fry bread like Auntie Colleen. She had a beautiful voice and sang in church and taught her girls many hymns, while driving in the car.

During the pandemic, the family had to come up with new activities to do outdoors. This led to the creation of the Bigfoot Searchers Club, in which Colleen was a founding member. Really, it was one of the many ways she encouraged her girls and grandchildren to be outside getting exercise. One of her favorite pastimes was going on walks. An evening walk was always a consistent part of her routine. She participated in many walks/runs around the community. She looked forward to the Montana Women's Run every year with her daughters and granddaughters and daughter in law. Colleen also enjoyed shopping trips with her girls and grands. It gave her true joy to be able to buy and gift toys, items or anything that was needed to her grandchildren and making frequent trips to Pizza Hut and McDonalds.

Colleen was a lover of Jesus and made sure to raise her children in the bible and in church. She built a solid foundation of faith for her family that has helped them through many trials. Despite her illness, she believed wholeheartedly in God's plan for her life and never lost faith in Him.

If mom loved her girls fervently; her love for her grandchildren was 100% unconditional. She took great pride in their accomplishments and milestones. Several years ago, Jericho brought Ronnea home and from that moment on, she was part of us. We were also blessed with Amani and Joseph, Kaale was overjoyed with the expansion of our family.

The admiration that her family had for her, led to several of them being her namesakes: Alexis Gina, Adelyn CoLee and Cole Hunter.

Mom retired in 2023 and enjoyed the past 2 years at home caring for her grandson and great grandsons. All of the kids would take turns “feeling sick” to be able to stay home with Kaale and she never said no. Colleen cherished time with her family. Wherever mom went, someone was usually with her. Although it was Papa's house, it was mom; who made it home.

Colleen was preceded in death by her father Bernard, sister Diane and brothers Scott Shane and Raymond Scott. She will also be welcomed to heaven by Gretchen's boys, Maria's girl and her grandson “Baby” Dwaine. She is survived by Curtis, her Children,

Gretchen, Jamie, Maria, Amaya, Gabrielle (Myron) Little Light, Jericho (Ronnea) BigLefthand and John Feather. She was blessed with many grands and great grands, Alexsis and Anthony, Jayden, Brooklyn and John. Cadence, Myron III (Chiefy), Hunter, Jacoby, Adelyn and Dalen. Amani, Joseph, Luke and Cole. Her mother Shirley, uncle Raymond White, and her siblings Wade and Shane. She had many nieces and nephews whom she adored and loved including; Little Shane, Lane (Kaycee) Moran, Shanni, J'lanie and Andrew, Thea, Scotty and Laura, they in return did the same. When Colleen moved to Crow Country, she was welcomed with open arms by her in-laws (Sisters in-laws who became sisters) Rena, Barbie and Sherri, many colleagues, friends and students became her family as well. Colleen had a way about her that made everyone feel comfortable and many times people would come to her for advice or just to listen. Mom had a charisma that made people comfortable and wanted to be in her presence.

Kaale Colleen made a lasting impression on So many people and will leave a forever legacy of laughter, love and prayer.

We loved you until the end of your life, but will love and miss you until the end of ours