Millie (Reams) Kantorowicz

Laura Mildred “Millie” Kantorowicz, 96, of Chester, MT passed away on November 24, 2022.  She was born in Indiana, to Margaret Rudder and James Reams, on March 15, 1926.  Millie was the fourth of eight children.  The Reams family moved from Laurel County to Indiana and lived for a few years and moved back to their home place in Laurel County, Kentucky.

Millie attended country schools, Bush High school, and Sue Bennett college.  She taught at Valley Grove school in Laurel County, east of London, for one year and attended Eastern Kentucky State College in the summer of 1949.  That fall she taught junior high at Dixon High School near Eaton, Ohio.

She married F.A. Barton and moved to Oregon where Millie taught at a country school in Deschutes County for two years.  They later moved to Chester, Montana where Millie taught for several years at Hay Coulee Country School.

Millie married Frank L. Kantorowicz in May 1956 and retired from teaching to raise a family of eight children and being a farmer/rancher’s wife.  She enjoyed sewing, canning, gardening, genealogy, and was also instrumental in planning family reunions.

She returned to college after their children were all in school and received a BS degree in Elementary Education from Northern Montana College in 1976. She frequently worked as a substitute teacher at the local schools as well as the Gildford Hutterite Colony. She also worked as a school bus driver.

Millie was a Cub Scout Den Mother for seven years, a 4-H Leader for ten, a CCD teacher for many years, involved in the community and St. Mary’s Catholic Church, State of Montana Eagle Forum President, Secretary for the Liberty County Genealogical Society, Treasurer for the Chester Christian Women’s Club and was a member of several civic organizations.  She was a member of the Right to Life organization, and a Montana delegate to the national women’s conference in November 1977.  She was honored to receive the Liberty County Senior Citizen of the Year award in 2014. She enjoyed writing the local news column for Liberty County Times for many years.

She spent seven of her later years in the Wheat Country Estates assisted living.  As her health declined, she moved to Liberty County Nursing Home in 2020 where she resided until her death.

Millie was preceded in death by her parents, her loving husband Frank, all of her siblings, and one great-grandchild, David.

She is survived by her eight children, Bruce “Dusty” (Cindy) Barton; Alvina (Donald “Barney”) Bjornstad; Lamont (Gail) Kantorowicz; Karen (Jim) Rouse; Richard (Toni) Kantorowicz; Kenneth (Brenda) Kantorowicz; David (Angela) Kantorowicz; Anita Kantorowicz; 25 grandchildren, 45 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Please join us in celebrating her life Friday, December 9th, 2022 10:00 am at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Chester, MT.  Burial and reception to follow.