Alice and Katie Barten

Alice (Dennee) Barten, age 59, and her daughter, Katie McKenna Dennee Barten, age 31, passed away suddenly in Kalispell on July 4th, 2019.   Loved ones have been remembering their special bond in life and now in eternity.

Alice Barten was born in Wausau, Wisconsin to Lawrence A Dennee and Marie (Schanfeous) Dennee, the second youngest of eight children.   She attended St. John’s Catholic School and graduated from Edgar High School.  She later attended and graduated from Flathead Valley Community College.  

She met the love of her life, David, the one & only time that either of them went to the disco, and it was love at first sight; they were married a short two weeks later.  Their early marriage was joyfully spent in a small primitive cabin in the North Fork and they later moved to the Lake Blaine area.  They were blessed with three children, Dohasan, Logan, and Katie Barten and had just celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary.

Alice worked nights at Cayuse Prairie School during her college semesters, and was later employed at Big Mountain Resort, the Flathead Curriculum Cooperative, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flathead County, and most recently, Windmill Storage & Business Park. 

Alice most enjoyed any time spent with her family.  She truly relished every minute with her children & grandchildren, and was always happy when family visited.   She loved crafting, reading, huckleberry picking, shooting, and hiking in Glacier National Park.   She was always quick to volunteer in the community and spent many hours in service to Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Creston Auction on behalf of the Creston Fire Department.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her sisters Carol Davidsen and Annette Dennee. 

Katie was born in Kalispell, Montana, the youngest of three children.  She spent her early years at Cayuse Prairie School and graduated as valedictorian from Flathead High School.   She spent her college years working at Costco while attending the University of Montana in Missoula and later transferred to the Kalispell Costco, where she was employed at the time of her death.

Katie considered her mom one of her best friends and they often enjoyed cooking, crafting, and nearly any kind of outdoor activity they could find to try in northwest Montana.   Katie also enjoyed snowboarding, hiking, kayaking and spending time with her brothers, friends, and extended family.  Always up for a challenge, she relished learning to hunt with her dad and brothers, learning gardening, canning, and quilting from family and neighbors, and she often found happiness in painting and any other kind of artwork.  One of her greatest joys was in her fur babies, Rowdy, Ozzie, and the family dog, Dylan.

Katie was preceded in death by her grandparents, Pete and Patricia Barten, and Lawrence & Marie Denee.

Alice and Katie, now together forever, are survived by their beloved husband and father, David in the family home, and by Dohasan of Denver, and Logan and his wife, Jenny, and their children Aiden, Keiren, Eaven, Enda, Aerna, & Eiona, all of Kalispell.   They are also survived by Alice’s sisters Catherine Concotelli, Ellen Dennee, Irene Nowak, Arlene Biesiada, brother Robert Dennee; as well as David’s siblings, Dean & Donna Barten, Dawn & Mike Redmond, Joyce Barten, and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.

There will be a celebration of life service on Thursday, July 11th at 4 pm at Canvas Church with a potluck gathering following at the family home.  A MealTrain has been organized by friends of the family to provide meals and companionship for Dave in the coming days.  More info is available at https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/w39kv0.  Friends and family are encouraged to visit www.darlingtonfunerals.com to leave memories, condolences, and tributes for the family.  Darlington Cremation and Burial Service is caring for Alice and Katie.

In lieu of flowers, the Barten family would encourage you to please contribute to Mothers Against Drunk Driving.   https://www.madd.org/

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Alice and Katie Barten, please visit our floral store.