Luella K. Pitman

Luella Pitman (85), was born November 5th, 1938 to Henry and Grace Siems. She was raised by her father with her three sisters, Dolores, Gloria, and Pat.

Luella met her life long love, Paul Pitman when she was just 18. They were married three months later, three days after her 19th birthday. They moved to San Diego California and saved all their money for five years to put towards a ranch in Montana. They then moved to Cat Creek on a leased ranch, and wintered their cattle. In 1961 they purchased the Valentine Ranch and lived there till Paul passed in 2008. Over the course of many difficult and rewarding years, they raised four children.

Luella became a true country gal, she learned to ride horses (which she hated), drive ranch equipment with various adaptations and make-do operations, fix fence, brand cattle, fight the random lightning fire, haul water, kill snakes, and hunt. Luella was loving and hospitable, and she put many a meal on for anyone who came by, whether she had much to cook with or not, no one went away hungry. She learned how to get the most out of a gallon of gas and a dollar. She could fix a flat faster than many men.

She took a rural mail route for 49 years. She worked as a nurse's aide and ward clerk at the Lewistown Hospital for ten years before retirement. She was a natural caregiver; she had a giving heart.

After Paul passed away, Luella moved to Roundup in 2010-11. She developed dementia in 2020 after her knee surgery. In the fall of 2021 she moved to Billings, and was eventually in Memory care at Novac Cottage, where she passed away.

Luella Pitman is preceded in death by her father Henry, mother Grace, husband Paul, sisters Gloria and Pat, and her mother-in-law Ada Heath Pitman, and father-in-law Alvin Pitman, and brothers in law George, and Dan. She is survived by her sister Dolores (Leach), brother in law, Steve (Billie) Pitman, four children; Kim (Robin) Lewis, Don (Tassie) Pitman, Brad (Carmen) Pitman, and Lura Pitman, nine grandchildren, and sixteen great grandchildren.