Louise was born on September 4, 1918 and grew up on a farm near Ridgeway, MO, the youngest (by 10 years) of four children and the only girl. She said that she was an "oops" baby and was spoiled by her brothers. She rode her pony, Nemo, to elementary school, galloping over bridges out of fear that the infamous Bonnie and Clyde might be hiding under them.  She attended Ridgeway High School; whose "school bus" was a wagon pulled by four horses-- an uncomfortable ride at best especially in stormy weather.

Following high school she attended the NW Missouri College of Teaching (now NW Missouri University). After 2 years the students were allowed to teach, as long as they returned in the summers to finish their degrees. Louise taught in Hogan, MO, Clarinda, IA, and Hammond, IN.

After the start of WWII she returned to Ridgeway to teach and help her parents on their 500 acre farm.

Louise met her husband, Leonard, in 1945. They were married in 1947 and began a delightful 48-year marriage. In 1948 they heard there were jobs at Hanford, so they drove a trailer west, battling breakdowns, floods and detours. Leonard got a job their first day here and Louise the next.  They lived in the North Hanford traitor court for 2 years (when Lynn, their first daughter, was born) then to a prefab in 1951 (when Cathy was born). They bought a ranch house as soon as the government released the houses for purchase and remained there until 2009.  Louise taught in the Richland School District for 25 years, mainly teaching second grade.  She loved teaching students to read and was widely acknowledged as a great teacher. Louise and Leonard were members of Westside Church throughout their working lives and served as Deacons on multiple occasions.  

Louise and Leonard traveled extensively after retirement. They bought a 5th-wheel trailer and visited every state in the union. Louise also visited Europe, where she especially enjoyed Greece and Ireland, and also visited Israel and Turkey. She felt Turkey was the most unique country she had experienced.   

The Blacks loved to spend winters in Arizona, and owned a second home in Mesa for 14 years. They had a wonderful time square dancing, socializing, and reading. Reading, especially mysteries, was one of Louise’s favorite activities.  

In 2009, in declining health, she sold her house in Richland and was one of the first to move into the new Riverton Retirement Community, where she lived for the past seven years.

Louise was preceded in death by her parents, Lester and Cora Bennet; brothers: Buren, Gordon, and Leo; husband, Leonard; son-in-law, Mark Hutton; and granddaughter, Victoria Hutton.

She is survived by daughters: Lynn (Jerry) Winkler and Cathy (Joe) Montgomery; grandchildren: David (Julie) Winkler, Kelsey Winkler, Ketra (Andrew) Isaacson, and Whitney (Joel) Swenson; and great-grandchildren: Colton and Connor Winkler (12 years) and Olive Isaacson (2 ½ years).     

Funeral services will be held Saturday, March 19, 2016 at 2:00 pm at Westside Church; 615 Wright Ave, Richland, WA.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Tri-Cities Food Bank (321 Wellsian Way, Richland, WA 99352) or the Salvation Army (1219 Thayer Dr, Richland, WA 99354).