Margery Pease

The matriarch of our five generation family, Margery Louise Jordan Pease, “Good Wood” Ba'achiia, peacefully passed away at sunrise on March 06, 2022 of natural causes, at the age of 96, surrounded by her many loved ones.

Margery was born on June 06, 1925 to Edwin and Florence Hocking Jordan of Butte, Montana. Her Butte neighborhood between Colorado and Idaho Streets, and her attendance at Garfield Elementary School, gave her childhood friends and adventures galore. She joined a riding club for Sunday afternoon trail rides, played guitar, and with her chum Henrietta, sang at neighborhood and city events and even on the radio using her stage name Marjean Jay. A remarkably bright student, Margery graduated from Butte High School early in 1943.

While attending Templed Hills Camp, Margery met faculty from Linfield College, which led to her enrollment there. While at Linfield Margery was active in student theater productions, musical performances, and was elected May Queen her senior year. She majored in history which led to a teaching career. Later, she attended graduate school at the University of Montana, Central Washington University and Boise State University.

At Linfield, Margery met a tall, slim handsome Crow Indian man from Lodge Grass, MT, Ben Pease. After graduation and a year of teaching, they became engaged and were married at the First Baptist church in Butte, in August 1948. Her Crow Indian sister in laws lovingly dressed her three times in Crow regalia. Happily, this marriage resulted in four children Janine, Ben III, Joel and Linda.

Nespelem High School, on the Colville Indian Reservation, hired Ben and Margery in 1948 where Margery taught English, history and girls P.E. After 7 years, the Peases moved to Wilbur where Margery was a full time homemaker and mother. In Leavenworth and Dayton, Margery taught high school English. In 1964 and 1965 she also taught at the Black Canyon Youth Camp on the Crow Reservation. In Moses Lake, she was a sixth grade teacher. Also, Margery taught piano and guitar to her children and grandchildren.

Photography was a lifelong passion for Margery. As a teen, she was inspired by her weekend job at the Zubic's Photo Shop. What began as family snapshots developed into countless images of events, family and community gatherings, powwows and travel in the Northwest and Montana. Marge took photography courses at Boise State and won prizes for her artistry. Her image taking led her to retrace her father's and uncle's WWI duty locations in France and Germany. She also documented American Indian Days in Sheridan, Wyoming, the Crow Fair parades, and every family gathering.

Margery's fascination with Pease and Jordan ancestry led to years of intense primary research documenting family genealogy leading to photographic essays with narratives and family trees.

Her research of the Pease family tree, and as a member of the Unitarian Church led to interviews of the Unitarian sponsored Bond's Mission descendants. From this research, Margery authored The Montana Indian Industrial School: A Worthy Work in a Needy Time on the 100th anniversary of the school opening, in 1988.

In 1966, Ben became Director of Columbia Basin Job Corps at Moses Lake, Washington, and Margery organized twenty African American Job Corps students into a Gospel Choir, who sang their traditional spirituals at the Congregational Church. Margery taught English to Japanese Agricultural Exchange Students, for three summer sessions. Later on Margery traveled to Japan to visit the homes of her former students and she in turn hosted them at her home in the United States. In 1969, the Peases joined efforts to bring Indigenous culture to the Native inmates
in the Washington State Penitentiary, resulting in deep and enduring relationships that Margery treasured.

Margery began her spiritual life in the American Baptist Church in Butte, Montana. The Peases became Methodists in Nespelem and Leavenworth, Disciples of Christ in Wilbur, and the Congregationalists in Dayton and Moses Lake. She served as a Sunday school teacher as well as choir director. In Boise, they found a spiritual home in the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, where she was a leader in the Northwest District. Upon retirement in Billings, Ben and Margery joined the Billings Unitarians, a congregation of friends whom they cherished.

Upon moving to Billings in 1988, she was totally engaged in the lives of her grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren. Margery participated with the family in Crow Indian cultural activities. When White Supremacist groups attacked a Jewish family in Billings, American Indian and Hispanic homes, and minority owned businesses, Margery and Ben were among the organizers of “Not In Our Town” an effort to end discrimination.

Margery Pease led a remarkable life that was renowned for her inclusiveness of family and friends. She was especially gifted in making each person she met fully appreciated and understood. She generously shared her respect and love with persons of all ages, backgrounds and circumstances. Anyone she met felt her love. Her warm and good hearted nature has left a lasting impact on family members, her students and her community. A testament to her resiliency, she carried on despite the loss of her youngest son, Joel, in the prime of his life at age 45. The magnitude of her legacy exists in her writings, images and her loved ones.

Margery is predeceased by her husband Ben, son Joel, brother Robert Jordan, her parents Edwin and Florence Hocking Jordan, cousins Fred, Bill, Jim, Rosabell, and Margarite Harvey. Niece Cheryl Duffy, grand-nephews Willie and Quannah Bird.

Margery is survived by her children Louella, Janine, Ben (Kathleen), Deloria, Linda, and Clarene. She is survived by her grandchildren Sarah (Stanley), Lori (Ervin), Nicole (John), Russell (Jalessa), Rosella, Jordan (Meleyna), Buddy (Sami), Darcy (Kristin), Jelana, Ian, Ben William (Kara), Lyndon (Joanie), BethYana, Kai, Dan (Mara), Garrison, Tana (Casey), Stuart (Carly), Ben (Malisha), Brooke (Heath), and Gary. Her great grandchildren Tillie, Alyssa, Kayden, J'Ree, Sara, Tanner, Joel II, Joshua, Seth, Sannah, Sarah, Jasmine, Reese, KC, Jake, LJ, Blaize, Swift, Laetus, Jade, Canon, Ellonie, Quannah, Jason, Bear, MargieMae, Charlotte, Bo, Olivia, Chloe, Veda, KaCia, Jordan, Max, Roman, Aluu'te, and Lyndon Jr. Her great-great grandchildren Serena, Arya, and Jaxon. Margery is further survived by her sister Connie Jackson, her nieces Ramona Real Bird, Sharon Stands, Angela Russell, Terrie Jordan, Olivia Sierra, Cynthia Pease, Lynne (Joe) WalksAlong, Majel Russell, Nicole Real Bird; her nephews Richard (Sheila) Pease, Robert Jordan Jr, Sam Pease, Shawn and Tim Real Bird, Rusty and Jonathan Stands; cousin Elva Smithers, sister-in-laws LaVerne Jordan and Evelyn Jordan. Adopted children Margie (Warren) Campbell, Julie Saluskin, Yvette Joseph, and Randy Scott. Her families are the Jordan, Hocking, Harvey, Pease, Whitemanrunshim, Spotted Horse, Williams, and Bighorns.