BARBARA I PITMAN

Barbara Irene Pitman passed away October 16, 2017 peacefully at her home surrounded by family.  Barbara was born in Helena, Montana on September 16, 1947 to Walter and Venice Riddock.

Barbara grew up on Warren Street near downtown which greatly influenced her free-spirited childhood.  She attended many, if not all the churches nearby, which influenced her love of art and stained glass.  As a young girl, she played cowboys and Indians and proclaimed she was always an Indian.  She was a Thunderbird in Girl Scouts through the eighth grade.  The memory of playing in her neighborhood safely past dark never left her.

Barbara graduated from Helena High in 1965 and then attended the University of Montana graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Home Economics with a minor in Art in 1969.  She was a member of Alpha Phi.  True to her adventurous spirit, she headed to Eureka in her Volkswagen Beetle, having never been there before.  She began teaching Home Economics at Lincoln County High School in 1970.

In the summer of 1972 she met the love of her life, Roger Pitman.  They married a few months later and enjoyed 45 years together.  Raising her family and supporting them in their endeavors became her highest priority.  Her greatest joy in life was her family. 

She took her first and only stained glass class in 1980, which became her favorite medium.  She created many large windows for the First Baptist Church of Eureka, St Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church of Eureka, and numerous windows and doors for her community.  She loved making special suncatchers, but her angels and crosses became her favorites.  She longed for a grandchild to fall in love with glass and began to teach the craft to her granddaughters, making Christmas ornaments and magnets to sell at bazaars.

She had an entrepreneurial spirit and purchased and managed the Sears Catalog store in Eureka from 1989-1993.  Through the years, she helped with many activities in her community, including the American Youth Soccer Organization, the Baptist Youth Crusaders, the American Cancer Society and many fundraisers.

Barbara loved spending time with her family the most.  Upon Roger’s retirement, they enjoyed traveling together, mostly south to warmer climates.  She loved keeping the fire stoked while camping and sharing stories with her grandchildren.  She loved roadie rides down Highway 37 and was an avid garage saler and collector who reveled in a good find.

Barbara was proceeded in death by her parents and sister Eula Marie Jacquez.

She is survived by her husband Roger; daughter Jenny (Ron) Komac of Eureka; daughter Molly (James) Tornow of Bozeman; son Lucas (Marcy) Pitman of Salt Lake City; grandchildren Jenna, Katie, Carson,  Monroe, Macy and Glynna; special nephew Karl (Denise) Banschbach; brother Walter Riddock and numerous nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held Friday, November 10, at 2:00pm at The First Baptist Church in Eureka, MT.  Memorials can be made to the Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter.  Online condolences and memories may be shared at www.schnackenbergfh.com