Dede Schuster, loving Mom, Grandma, and friend passed way at the age of 81 in her home on August 5.  She was born on May 7, 1940 in Great Falls MT to Dale and Leona Harnish.

She grew up in Montana and enjoyed spending the school year in Great Falls and on the family farm in Fort Benton during the summer.  She loved to tell stories of time on the farm with her many cousins on her Mom’s side.  On her Dad’s side, her sister Donna and she were the only kids so she would talk about how the family would totally spoil them at Christmas.

She attended Great Falls Central High School, and then graduated from Gonzaga University with a bachelor’s degree in Education.  After graduation, she married and moved to Richland WA where she raised her family of 4 boys.

The door to her house was always open, and her sons and their friends would spend many hours playing games, telling stories, laughing, and taking full advantage of the “open fridge policy”.  Over the years, Dede became a Mom and Grandma to many kids around town and would be their biggest fan.

One of her favorite things to do was to watch her sons, and then her grandkids, sporting events.  She grew up watching sports with her Dad, which she said prepared her well to watch the thousands of games she attended.  She would never miss a game, and was quite proud of the sports bag she would pack that kept her prepared for any weather.  While watching these games she also made many life long friends that she treasured.

Dede also loved spending time with her many, many friends.  They could often be seen at restaurants around town where a breakfast or lunch would turn into hours of sharing stories and laughing.

She also enjoyed taking many trips to see family and grandkids that lived out-of-state, joining them on many adventures and of course to watch games.  Dede and her friends would also go on weekend trips that would be full of fun and laughter.

She is survived by her sister Donna and step-sister Diane, and her 4 sons Mike (Darcy), Dan (Jen), Steve (Kristin), and Mark (Janet), as well as her 8 beloved grandkids Nick, Nate, Mia, Peyton, Tanner, Jack, Jacob, Max, and nieces and nephews.

Dede was the definition of what it means to be a Mom, Grandma, and Friend.  Her smile, stories, laugher, and cheers from the stands will be greatly missed by everyone.  But we do know she will now have the best seat in the house for all the games she will continue to watch.

There will be an open house celebration of Dede’s life at Mark and Janet’s house on Saturday August 14^th starting at 6:00pm.  If you have questions please contact Janet at 509-366-0483.