Elizabeth Josephine (Buckalew) Hudson

Beloved 'Betty Jo' to Gary Hudson, her husband of some 58 years, 'Betty' to her parents, brothers and sister, and our 'Mom'

On December 24, 1943 Betty was born in Forsyth, Montana to Ruth Ann (Kuntz) Buckalew and Elmer Floyd Buckalew. She and her 5 siblings, Dolly, Floyd, George, Mike, and Sandy spent their early years in eastern Montana, dividing their time between Glendive and Forsyth. She was very proud to be a Montanan, with deep roots in the State. It was a defining aspect of her identity she would carry proudly around the world to display through her fierce determination, intelligence, and morality.

Gary met Betty Jo ('Bets') when her family moved to Roundup in 1959 to start their bakery business. She only stood "five foot eleven and a quarter of an inch" (the quarter of an inch mattered!!) and, though small as she was, she took on Gary as a life partner for better or worse. They were married in August 19, 1962 and honeymooned in Glacier National Park. Soon after they wed (11 months!) Sheri was born, followed closely by Gary (Craig) and then Kurt - forever her baby.

In the early years, Betty often followed Gary with the kids while he provided for the family by working in the oilfields throughout Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas. In the early 70's they tried the more 'normal' life in Billings, staying put for the kids. The boredom of a sedentary life likely gave them the appetite for the risk they would take when Betty found a job advertised in the Billings Gazette. A man flew in from California to interview Gary to be an offshore drilling engineer, and a few weeks later he began his training in the Gulf of Mexico. Not long after that the family moved to the beautiful Mediterranean island of Malta, from which Gary was able to fly to the Persian Gulf for work.

The following decade saw the family move around the world to live in Malta for some 4 years, Iran, Singapore, and Australia. With Gary working away Betty looked after the family, adapting to a succession of cultures often on her own. Gary knew he could depend on her to make a safe home for their family even in unfamiliar and often very trying circumstances while dealing with her own home sickness and fears. And she always did. We had the most amazing life adventures and we will forever be grateful for the risks Mom took, and how she managed them to make our lives so very special by making extraordinary opportunities available to us.

In the 80's the family returned home to Billings where the kids began to leave the nest to follow their own life paths. Betty and Gary moved to Florida for a time and then to Vegas. They were in Australia visiting Sheri, having just finished a drive across the Australian outback, when they received a call telling them Gary's brother, Monty, had died.

They returned to Roundup to care for Gary's Dad, Bill Hudson, and moved into the family home. The same house they had occupied when first starting their own family some 30 years earlier. Although they had contemplated buying the property then, the time was not right and so it was purchased by Gary's parents.

Their retirement became a 3-decade house renovation project during which Betty and Gary created a comfortable life surrounded by the wild turkeys, deer, skunks, snakes, birds, and the occasional coyote. Betty loved her home set against the rimrocks in Klein.

Betty Jo is survived by her husband, children, and Craig's spouse, Lori. She found joy and fulfillment in the accomplishments of each of her 5 grandsons: Christian, Cole, Connor, Cody, and Austin. And, over the recent Easter weekend she was so delighted to watch her great grandson, Dallas, take his first steps. She always had time to listen to her own kids' concerns when tackling a parenting matter and would devote whatever time was needed to talk it through to help find a solution. Her loyalty to family was absolute and unwavering.

Although in more recent years our family has been separated by distance, Mom mastered modern technology to bridge all obstacles to embed herself in all our lives. We could call any day, at any time, and it was rare for her not to answer the phone. We never felt we were a burden and she was always pleased to hear from us.

The Montana girl is now home at rest, but her embrace of our hearts will sustain us.

We will hold a celebration in honour of Mom's life. When arrangements are finalised the date will be made available.