Margaret Ann “Peg” Bartlett, 1943-2005

With her daughters at her side, Margaret Ann “Peg” Bartlett, 62, slipped away peacefully Thursday morning at Son Heaven Assisted Living Center in Helena after a long struggle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Memorial services will be held for Peg in Helena at the Retz Funeral Home (315 E. 6th St.) on Monday, November 21st, at 1:30 p.m. (reception to follow at Sander's B&B) and in Billings at Grace United Methodist Church (1935 Ave. B) on Wednesday, November 23rd, at 2:00 p.m.

Born in Billings on March 5, 1943, the middle child of Fred and Irene Bartlett, Peg attended school in Billings, graduating from Billings Senior High. While still a teen, she served as the statewide Grand Worthy Advisor for the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls. She went on to Montana State University in Bozeman to study nursing and received her degree in registered nursing in 1963.

It was also in 1963 that she married John Richard “Dick” Rosenleaf. The two later divorced, but the union produced beloved daughters Rebecca in 1968, and Amy in 1973. Peg’s “girls” were always the center of her life.

Peg worked as a registered nurse for many years in Deer Lodge while her daughters were in school, including a long period of service at the Montana State Prison. Although her warmth and gentle demeanor were well-suited to the nursing profession, she was eager for a new challenge and received her paralegal certification in Missoula after her daughters were grown. Upon earning her credentials, she moved to Helena and went to work for the State of Montana. She served there until her retirement for health reasons in 2003. She truly enjoyed her job and her co-workers, many of whom she considered to be close friends.

Peg is survived by her mother, V. Irene Bartlett of Billings; daughters, Rebecca Bey of Billings and Amy Marene Rosenleaf of Seattle, Wash.; sons-in-law Eric Bey and Donald James Ankney; sister Sue Bartlett and brother-in-law Gene Fenderson of Helena; brother Donn Bartlett of Billings; and numerous nieces and nephews as well as beloved friends and co-workers.

She was preceded in death by her father, Fred Bartlett, and her former parents-in-law, Roy and Martha Rosenleaf, whom she always considered to have been important people in her life.

It is almost impossible to convey Peg’s loving and caring nature. Those who were lucky enough to know her inevitably refer to her gentleness and her desire to give to others, but she was so much more than that. She was fierce in her protection of her daughters and the other people she loved, and she could find good in almost anyone. Beautiful inside and out, Peg was a lady in the best sense of the word. And a lady knows when it’s time to leave.

Peg’s family would like to extend heartfelt thanks to Linda Sandman and to the staff of Son Heaven Assisted Living Center and the staff of the Hospice of St. Peter’s, both of which helped immeasurably in making Peg’s final journey better for her and her family. In light of this—and in lieu of flowers—the family would like to ask that memorials be made to Son Heaven or to the Hospice of St. Peters.