Madaline Itcaina

MALTA-Madaline Itcaina, went home to be with her Heavenly Father Wednesday, January 14, 2015 in Billings following a swift stroke.

Rosary was on Sunday, January 18 at the Kirkwood Memorial Chapel. Mass was on Monday, January 19 at St. Mary's Catholic Church. Interment will be in the Malta Cemetery. Condolences for the family may be left at http://www.kirkwoodfuneralhome.com.

An obituary, however necessary, is inadequate to do more than to encompass the broadest strokes of life. This fact was never more true than in the case of Ina Madaline Itcaina. And so, here are the broad strokes:

Madaline, as she was known by most, was born in Roy, NM, on January 11, 1941, the youngest of the three children of Jim and Irene Carter. A year or two later, Jim sought and found work in the Seattle shipyards, then sent for Irene and the children. Madaline grew up in the McMicken Heights neighborhood of Seattle. A tomboy, she ran and played with her brother and the neighborhood kids and gained a lifelong love of swimming, thanks to Angle Lake. She was a born leader, and in high school, led her church youth group. She was also a rare beauty. Her mother sewed her clothes from Vogue patterns and Madaline, who herself worked in a downtown Seattle shoe store, was al-ways the peak of fashion.

She met and married Dixie Jennings in 1959. Three children came of that union. During this marriage, Madaline moved a number of times, landing at last in Malta. Married 11 years, they divorced. In 1971, Madaline married Glen Williamson, with whom she had a son. They also divorced after 21 years of marriage. Fred Itcaina had the honor of being her husband at the time of her death. With this marriage, Madaline gained a third daughter. They were married 24 years, earlier ranching, later enjoying semi-retirement at their home in Malta.

She will be mourned by many. She is survived by her husband, Fred, her sister Charlotte (Doug) Linstead and her brother, Robert Carter; five children: Debra (Lee) Wolfe, of Helena; Kathryn (Steve) Plettenberg of Helena; Darlene Itcaina (Charles) Idehen; Milo (Ira) Jennings of Oklahoma City, OK; Jack (Kelly) Williamson of Meridian, ID; six grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, one grandson on the way; as well as nieces, nephews and innumerable dear friends.

Beyond these facts, Madaline possessed a nimble mind and busy hands. She loved to trace the history of her beloved family. She was a city girl completely converted to rural life in Montana and could arrange flowers or pull a calf with equal aplomb. She loved the prairies, but planted and nurtured hundreds of trees, shrubs, and flowers. She was an artist, creating beauty and harmony in her home and community. She cooked lovely dinners laid out in elegance, quick picnic suppers, and hundreds of casseroles and soups to deliver a bit of homemade love to a lonely neighbor or a family in need. She was strong and capable, generously taking on others' chores of mowing lawns and shoveling snow. She chauffeured many to drugstores, doctors' appointments and to the Dairy Queen for blizzards. She could sew delicate prom dresses or mend old coveralls. Each of her grands and greats were blessed by the work of her hands – afghans, quilts, booties and much more. She was greatly active in her community, as an election judge, president of the Area Agency on Aging, past president of St. Mary's Altar Society and many other volunteer positions over the years. Madaline was everyone's friend, and her love, freely given, was unconditional.

The Prayer of Jabez is "Oh, that Thou would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory, and that thine hand might be with me, and that Thou would keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me." Madaline's territory was indeed large. She blessed the hearts of those who knew and loved her. Her departure leaves us with an absence that we shall never fill. Fortunately, love is not constrained by time, space, or death. We feel, both collectively and individually, her abiding love and love her still.