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Beth Lorraine Haggen passed over and returned home to her loving Heavenly Father on Thanksgiving Day, a perfect day to remember her to give thanks and be grateful for her life. What a blessing she was and still is to her loving husband, her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, family and friends.
Beth was born on Dec. 9, 1935, in Great Falls, Montana, to Ernest Martin and Mamie (Robison) Martin, the third of five children.
Mom lived most of her childhood in Seattle, Washington, moving to Lovell during her high school years. She lived with her aunt Della and uncle Chuck Negro.
While in Lovell she met Gilbert Haggen and they were later married in the Idaho Falls Temple. Together they raised six children. They spent a lifetime together creating many memories and growing their love for each other. At the time of Mom’s passing, they had been married 67 years.
In her younger years she had a love for dance and performed for many years. Gilbert didn’t share her passion for dance, so that led to Mom learning to camp and fish and enjoy her family on many trips and vacations. Together they lived in many places, meeting new people, and making new friends along the way.
Mom had many hobbies. She loved the ocean, at least to look at, so she spent many hours combing the beaches for shells and treasures. She built quite a collection of her findings. Mom always worked with her hands, and they were always busy. She loved to quilt, cross-stitch, bake, puzzling and sew, to name a few.
Mom loved to give and serve others. She made many stuffed toys, dolls and other items to donate to foundations for children who had little.
She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She had a great love for her savior and always looked for ways to serve him and those around her. She held many callings in her church, which provided opportunities for her continued service.
Mom loved her family; family was everything to her. Being a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother filled her with joy and love. She was always working on something that she could give for gifts to show her love and how much we each meant to her. She was an example to all of us of how to serve selflessly and have Christ-like love for her family and friends.
Mom developed Alzheimer’s many years before her passing. It was difficult to see her struggle and forget, and then losing her ability to speak. She suffered greatly, but it never stopped her from giving you a great big smile and a big hug. She was always so excited to see and be near you. Gilbert, her loving husband, was her main caretaker and devoted his life and love to her every day. He cared for her and never stopped wanting to care for her until the last few months of her life. With her health declining, he had to allow for others to step in and give her the help and care he was not able to do.
We want to thank New Horizons Care Center in Lovell, where the staff lovingly took her in and loved and cared for her. They were able to manage her pain and keep her comfortable the last few months of her life. We wanted to extend a tremendous thanks for family, friends and ward members who offered their help or just spent time with her to brighten her day.
Mom is dearly loved, and her presence will be greatly missed. But we will always feel her love for us in everything she touched in her life.
She was preceded in death by her father Ernest and her mother Mamie Martin; her brothers, Ronald, Ray and Stanley; and her grandchildren Ashlee and Ryan Gray.
She is survived by her dear husband Gilbert Haggen; sons, Leonard (Jayne) Haggen, Mike (Gwen) Haggen, Dean (Natalie) Haggen and James Haggen; daughters Christine Haggen and Beth (Mike) Gray; 16 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and sister Charlotte “Sherry” Cox.
A visition will be on Dec. 3, at 9 a.m., at Haskell Funeral Home in Lovell, followed by a memorial service at 10 a.m. Interment will be at Lovell Cemetery.
