Barbara Hafferman, 84, of Kalispell

Barbara (Clare) Belshaw Hafferman, 84, of Kalispell passed away at her home on Sept. 30, 2014.

Clare was born on Jan. 30, 1930, in Bozeman to George and Judith Belshaw. Clare was the daughter of pioneers and she embodied the pioneer spirt.

Clare lived in Bozeman and was raised on a small family farm, along with five brothers and sisters: Bruce, MacGregor (Mac), Bernice (Bee), Judy and Molly. Clare spoke often of her two grandmothers, grandma Belshaw, from whom she inherited her thrift, and grandma Murphy, who instilled in her the Irish traits.

Clare attended Montana State College where she met her companion-for-life, Bob. They were married in October of 1952 and were together forever.

In 1966, Bob and Clare settled into Libby where Bob went to work for St. Regis Lumber Company. Dan, Kurt and Greta all graduated as Libby Loggers and still call Libby home.

Clare worked as a waitress at the Caboose. She and Bob opened the Coffee Corner, and she was the secretary of the Libby Chamber of Commerce. She helped organize President Ford’s dedication of the Libby Dam, and she worked for the Mike Cuffe at The Western News.

Bob and Clare started Koocanusa Marina in the late 1970’s until they decided it was time to move from Libby. They ended up in Kalispell in 1980 where she and Bob lived for the rest of Clare’s life. Clare served on the Kalispell City Council.

Clare is survived by her loving husband Bob, her son Dan and his wife Marcy and son Kurtis and his wife Kathy, all from Kalispell; her daughter Greta Chapman and her husband Harry Chapman of Rapid City, S.D.

Her grandchildren are Dan’s children Jason, Nathan and Jennifer; Kurt’s children Marcus, Eric and Rebecca; and Great’s sons Sam and Max. The absolute light of her life was her great-granddaughter Jaden.  

She is also survived by her brother Bruce, and Greg and her sister Bee, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

A private burial will take place on Oct. 3 at Conrad Cemetery. A memorial service will be held at Johnson Funeral Home in Kalispell on Oct. 6, with a gathering of friends and family to follow at the Outlaw Inn at noon. All are welcome.