Violet Rachel Griffin-Ereth, 100

After more than 100 years on this Earth, our precious mother went to join her Savior in heaven March 14, 2023. Violet (Sis) Rachel Griffin-Ereth was born May 30, 1922, to Marin Griffin and Altha Finley-Griffin in Daleview, Mont. Violet married Jacob Ontonio Ereth on Oct. 10, 1942, in Plentywood, Mont. They had eight children. In 1950, they moved to the Flathead Valley with expectations of working on the Hungry Horse Dam.

She spent her childhood in Daleview, attending school there and nearby Outlook. She occasionally worked for local ranchers, restaurants and private families as a teen. Her mother was a traveling midwife and sometimes spent weeks away from home. Violet did most of the housekeeping and cooking for her father and younger siblings, as her older brothers and sisters were married and her father worked the fields. Later, after her own children were mostly raised, she started cooking in local restaurants. It was no surprise that she became one of the best cooks in the area, she and her husband, Jake, opened several restaurants of their own.

With her love for and dependency on her “Lord Almighty,” Violet attended the Assembly of God Churches in local areas. She was a dedicated member of the church of Hungry Horse, Mont., for 15 years. She was also a member and on the board of trustees at the Assembly of God church in Butte, Mont.

Violet also gave back to her community by serving many years as a senior companion on the disabled and home-bound elderly. Violet later moved to several other locations to be near her children, still cooking until retirement. At the age of 80, she moved to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, with her daughter, Janice, son-in-law Bill and disabled son Marty. There was never a more loving, caring and giving mother who gave her all and never asked anything for herself. Love and kindness will forever be her legacy. Few will forget the tilt of her head and her wonderful smiling Irish eyes. She was as lovely as her name.

Her children, family and friends loved her dearly and will miss her very much until they meet her again. She will be waiting with open arms at the “Gates of Heaven” for each and every loved one, as she always did in her own home.

Violet is survived by her children, Jaxine McArther (Johnnie) of Butte, Marsha (Janet) Holt of Stanwood, Wash., Jerry Ereth of Phoenix, Ariz., Janice Sullivan (Bill) of Coeur d’Alene, Jerome Ereth of Elbert, Colo., Victoria Stenneski of Columbus, Ind., and John “Marty” Ereth of Coeur d’Alene; 16 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, seven great-great-grandchildren; as well as many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; three brothers; six sisters; her husband, Jacob Ereth (1991); and her eldest son, Jacob Darrel Ereth (2018).

A memorial service will take place in Butte at a later date. Please visit Violet's online memorial and sign her guest book at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.