Allene June Reiter
Allene June Reiter went to meet her Lord and Savior in Heaven on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. She passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family. Allene was born on June 21, 1942, in Cody, Wyoming, to parents James Allen Peery and Dorothy Peery. She was joined by sister Reva “Jane” in 1943.
Her early years in life took place in Wyoming: from Cody to Laramie through first grade, then to Wheatland on a cattle ranch. She and Jane were raised by their father and his parents, and they moved to the Shepherd, Montana area in 1957. She attended Shepherd High School and graduated as valedictorian of her class in 1960.
Through the matchmaking skills of a “Reiter cousin” (Nancy Kirby) and Allene’s sister, Jane, Allene would meet her lifetime partner and farmer, William “Bill” Edward Reiter. They married on Oct. 14, 1960. They had three children: Timothy, Brenda and Jeanette “JJ.” Bill and Allene later chose to go their separate ways, but remarried on Nov. 21, 1987, this time with God at the helm of their marriage for the remainder of her life.
Being raised on a ranch was a perfect life for Allene. At an early age, she was driving tractors, the old Hudson and the farm trucks, and became a very skilled driver of the hay stacker. Moving cattle on horseback was a yearly job, which she loved so much, she didn’t realize this was “work.” These skills were invaluable in helping Bill with the farm work for many, many years to come.
Allene’s love for animals was indescribable, especially her love of horses. Her favorite childhood horse was named “Tony” and, in December 1954, her Great Uncle Dick transferred ownership of Tony to her. The sale of Tony later helped pay for her continued education at the Billings Business College. She would go on to acquire more horses throughout her life, and she loved each one with all of her being.
Professionally, Allene’s secretarial career took her from working for Orthopedic Associates to the Crowley Law Firm working for Robert “Bob” E. Lee and Sherry S. Matteucci. She continued working with Bob Lee when he joined the Law offices of Hanson, Roybal, Lee & Todd. Allene had the utmost respect for Bob, both personally and professionally, and expressed this often. Her career spanned over 28 years, during which she earned the certification of Professional Legal Secretary (PLS) and was a member of the Legal Secretaries Association. This proved to be an amazing career choice, which led to many blessings for her and personal recognition from her bosses.
Perhaps Allene’s most cherished role was that of being a wife, mother and grandmother. Allene provided endless encouragement to all of us. She recognized each of our strengths and attributes and praised us often. She led by example and met every encounter in life with an amazing amount of strength and grace, of which she always gave credit to God. She developed very unique and special relationships with each of her grandchildren. She looked forward to the phone conversations with Regina in Pennsylvania. She was so proud of the mom Regina became and loved hearing the voices and laughter of her great-grandchildren. She was so grateful to have a grandchild residing in Billings, and she welcomed every opportunity to spend time with Justin, being his personal taxi driver, going shopping, playing board games, doing puzzles, making crafts and thinking of fun ideas of ways for him to help her with chores. She never missed a sporting event or band concert, and always expressed interest in his classes in school. She often sent cards “just because,” expressing how proud she was of the young man he is becoming.
She and Jane shared a very closeknit bond and they loved “gabbing” for hours, recounting stories about having the best childhood. Allene also loved her extended family and became a great organizer for “cousins lunches and dinners” for both her and Bill’s side of the family.
Allene was smart, genuine, kind, softspoken, supportive, loving, beautiful and patient. She had an amazing memory and could remember names, dates and details of events that the rest of us could not begin to recall. She was never one to criticize or complain. Her hobbies included reading, doing puzzles, tending to her flowers/strawberries, knitting blankets and dishcloths, quilting and taking road trips to visit Brenda in Lakeside.
Allene was preceded in death by her parents; Bill’s parents Jacob and Emma Reiter; and son Tim (2012); brother-in-law Bill Brewington; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
She is survived by her husband, Bill; daughters Brenda Reiter (Pat Miner), JJ Gartner (Jim Gartner); daughter-in-law Ann Reiter; grandchildren Regina Reiter (Trevor Hoedle) and Justin Gartner; three great-grandchildren, Penelope, Ellie and Theodore; sister Jane Brewington; nephew Jon Brewington and niece Deborah Brewington; aunts and many cousins.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 13, at First Alliance Church, 1835 Central Ave., Billings. A luncheon will immediately follow at the church. Interment will take place on a later date this spring with arrangements under Michelotti-Sawyers Mortuary.
The family wishes to thank all of the medical doctors, nurses and caregivers in the ICU department at St. Vincent Healthcare and the Advanced Care Hospital of Montana for their loving, heartfelt care they provided to our mom.
Memorials can be made to First Alliance Church or to a charity of your choice.
