Cecelia Marie Dolezal

Cecelia Marie (Gibbs) Dolezal, 86, of Libby passed away at her home on Friday, July 7, 2017 of natural causes. She was born in Troy on September 18, 1930 to Richard (Dick) and Irene (Peck) Gibbs. The house she was born in is still there. Her only sibling, Olga (Midge) was her constant companion. Her dad ran a secondhand store in Troy. After they moved to Libby, he was the town policeman.

She married Elton E. (Pat) Snyder and had her only child, Carolyn. She also married and went by last names Whiting, Elmer, Olson, Crowley, Farris and Dolezal.

Cecelia cooked in logging camps, tended bar at the Mint Bar and ran a half-way house for alcoholics in Billings. After she got her LPN (nursing) degree, she worked for the Veterans Administration Hospitals in Montana and California. When she returned to Libby, she worked at the Libby Care Center for over 20 years until her retirement.

Cecelia took care of her aging mother for several years. She made several trips to Alaska to see her daughter, Carolyn and family. She enjoyed panning for gold in Chicken, Alaska and going to bingo with Agnes Purdy. She lived life on her terms with gusto. If she wanted to do something, she usually did it. She wanted to stay in her own home until she died, and she did.

Survivors include her daughter Carolyn (Frank) Purdy; three grandchildren Tami Purdy Walters (Jason), Trina Purdy Fokas (Alex) and Tresa Purdy Bockus; two great-grandchildren Bridgette Shea Keener (Andy) and Adryan Bockus, whom Cecelia was able to meet; and 3 other great-grandchildren Killian and Aurora Walters; and Inarah Bockus, whom she only knew through pictures; and her only great-great-grandchild, Dawson Keener who had a picture on her refrigerator, too. Cecilia made it possible for all three of her grandchildren to come visit her in Montana.

Services for Cecelia will be 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 19, 2017 at Schnackenberg & Nelson Funeral Home Chapel in Libby.

Online condolences and memories may be shared by visiting www.schnackenbergfh.com.