Carla Jean Cowee passed away with family by her side on April 8, 2017.
She was born August 17, 1959 to Gordon and Leona Napton and had two siblings, Doug Napton and Roberta (Bobbie) Slover. Growing up they spent most weekends traveling all over North Dakota visiting Dad in the oil field. She had many stories to tell of her brother and sister but her favorite was when she was about 5 years old. Doug had wrapped her in duct tape and left her in the middle of the road. She could still hear mom yelling “Doug get her out of the road and unwrap her now!” Another one was about how years after she graduated, she was still getting marked absent from school when Bobbie skipped class. In high school she gained an amazing sister-in-law and friend, Mary.
In 1982, Carla welcomed her first son Cory, followed by her daughter Teala in 1987. She met the love of her life in 1988, Gary “Slim” Cowee. They met when she and her sister-in-law Mary owned the Stockman Bar in Wibaux. Gary brought three kids to the relationship, Garret, Ghia and Gerrad. Slowly turning into “his, hers, and ours,” they welcomed their youngest son Justin in 1992. Gary and Carla were pretty much inseparable and you would rarely see one without the other. After she lost her husband in 2012 she lost a small piece of her heart. She got 2 little Yorkies to help fill the void, Milo and Murphy. The highlights of her life were her grandkids Kailer, Jeramiah and Liberty.
Carla loved her children with all her heart. She always made sure they had the best Halloween costume, they loved decorating sugar cookies, or playing rummy into all hours of the night. She loved road trips, especially that trip to Deadwood with her friend Chris Gentry. A friendship that ended up leading her and her family to Ennis, Mont. One of Carla’s favorite things to do was to wander around any shop and look for a good bargain. Sometimes you would even find her out “playing a $5.” She always looked forward to the Ennis-Wibaux football game, not for the outcome but it meant her Wibaux family would be coming to visit. She always said she wasn’t the best cook but anyone who had her baked beans and potato salad would disagree.
Over the years, Carla worked at the Mountain Bell, Southside Tavern, owned the Stockman bar, spent years caring for the residents at Eastmont, and the grocery stores in Wibaux and Ennis. She had so many people that meant the world to her it’s impossible to name them all. Just know she had a special place in her heart for everyone that crossed her path.
She had a heart of gold and always put everyone before herself. She always had a smile and hug ready. Her kind eyes will be missed by every person she touched in her short time with us. We are happy to know she is now with the love of her life Gary and her parents Gordon and Leona.
A celebration of life for Carla will take place on May 27, 2017 at the Sportsman’s Lodge in Ennis, Mont. at 4 p.m.