Margaret Basta

Margaret Ann Basta, age 86, passed away on Saturday, September 23, 2023 at her daughter's home in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Visitation will be held from 3:00 pm until 5:00 pm on Sunday, October 1, 2023 at the Silha Funeral Home in Glendive. Funeral services will be at 10:00 am on Monday, October 2, 2023 at the Evangelical Church in Glendive with Celebrant Heidi Carney officiating. Interment will follow in the Dawson Memorial Cemetery in Glendive. Silha Funeral Home of Glendive has been entrusted with the arrangements. Margaret was born February 25, 1937, in Richey, Montana. She was the second of three children born to Emmett and Sylvia (Murray) Mickelson. She was raised on a farm near Lambert. The family moved to a farm near Kalispell, Montana in 1946. After four years they moved back to the 'open Eastern Montana country' that her father loved and missed. She attended and graduated from Dawson County High School in 1954. Margaret was given a rare and wonderful opportunity by her mother to travel the country visiting relatives for nearly a year after high school graduation. Her mother sewed her a new wardrobe for the trip. She traveled with her grandmother to visit family near Brush, Colorado. She next visited a great aunt and uncle in Denver, then on to Dove Creek, Colorado to visit her mother's brother. She then traveled by train to California where she met and visited with three more Mickelson great aunt's and her father's brother Maynard's family. She ended her trip in San Franscisco with another brother of her mother's and his family. She attended college at Missoula in the Fall of 1955, which she said was a truly great experience. Margaret married Dennis Basta (Denny) on November 18, 1956, in Glendive, MT and they moved to San Francisco where Denny was stationed with the Army Niki Missile Project near Fort Cronkhite. They lived in San Francisco for a year during which time Margaret worked at several grocery stores as a clerk. After leaving San Franciso they moved back to Eastern Montana and farmed with Dennis’ uncle Charlie in Savage, MT. While in Savage, Mike, Alan, and Shannon, the first three of their seven children were born. In August of 1961 Denny and Margaret moved to the family farm south of Lindsay where they then had four more children; Ray, Jean, Joel, and Cole. Margaret had high expectations for her children and was the fiercest of mother bears protecting them. Margaret was a farm girl at heart. Her favorite part of farming was harvesting when she would spend all day out on the combine. We will always remember how good she said that beer (Olympia) tasted at the end of a day of combining to “cut the chaff”. She was active in community clubs while in Lindsay. When the two youngest boys (the “little boys”) started high school Margaret and Denny had a house in town where Margaret and the boys stayed during the week. In the late 1980’s Margaret started the Book ‘n’ Bear Nook. A gift shop that she had for 25+ years and to this day folks still miss. Margaret was elected to the Dawson County High School Board (April 1983 – May 1998) and the MSBA Board of Directors beginning in 1984. Margaret was passionate about her responsibility to the students and the community she represented. In 1986 Margaret was the recipient of the “Marvin Heintz Award”, the highest award the Montana School Boards Association confers upon school trustees. In 1989 Margaret was elected as the MSBA representative to the executive board of the Montana High School Association. She was also invited to be an honorary member of the Montana High School Association Board of Control and proudly carried her “Gold Card”. Margaret loved genealogy (a passion passed down from her mom). She said her favorite trips were going to libraries and graveyards. She has created many, many albums of pictures and history for family and friends. She also had a love of weaving (another passion passed down from her mom). She loved making that special rug for family and friends. Margaret was recently diagnosed with cancer. She was with family as she passed. Margaret is survived by her seven children, Mike (D’Ann) Basta of Glendive, Montana; Alan (Liu) Basta of Austin, Texas; Shannon May of Glendive, Montana; Ray (Kris) Basta of Glendive, Montana; Jean Basta (Jim Temple) of Cheyenne, Wyoming and Glendive, Montana; Joel (Jamie) Basta of Glendive, Montana and Cole (Shelly) Basta of Michigan City, Indiana; her brother-in-law Dave (Fran) Basta; sisters-in-law Marie Basta, Mable Basta and Bonnie Basta; 19 grandchildren; 10 great grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews; and cousins. Margaret was preceded in death by her husband Denny, her parents, her in-laws, two brothers Lewis and Fred, and brothers-in-law Don, Dan and Tom. Memorials are suggested to the Glendive Public Library. Remembrances and condolences can be shared with the family at: www.silhafuneralhomes.com.

Margaret Basta

February 25, 1937 - September 23, 2023

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Margaret Basta

February 25, 1937 - September 23, 2023

What We Do

Flowers & Gifts

Plan Ahead

About Us

Resources

Obituaries

Grief & Healing

Contact Information

365 Days of Grief Support