Doreen "Deeny" Marie (Hiebert) Montgomery

Obituary For Doreen "Deeny" Marie (Hiebert) Montgomery

Deeny Montgomery left many broken hearts when she passed away on May 19, 2026 in Bellingham, WA at Peace Health Whatcom Hospice House from complications after an 8-year battle with ovarian cancer.

She was born in Rosthern, SK on March 7, 1955 to George and Irene Hiebert and followed her twin brother Daniel into the world, surprising her parents with her arrival. She got her nickname, Deeny, early as the new twins, were presented to the world. The twins joined their older sisters Marlene and Lyla and lived on the family farm just outside Waldheim, Saskatchewan, Canada. She was bused to school in Waldheim where she attended with a small group of classmates through to graduation. When she was 16, another sister, Gina, joined the family but sadly passed away a year later. She was nosy and inquisitive from an early age. Her relationship with her mother was often contemptuous, but with her father she had a deep mutual love and respect.

Growing up on the farm, many years were spent without the luxuries of city life at the time. On a section of land, the family grew various grains and kept a small collection of cattle and pigs. One thing sadly absent in her life was a telephone, but Deeny adapted. When her cousins and friends visited on weekends and special occasions the girls would get dressed up late afternoon without any plans made for the inevitable arrival of more friends (mostly boys) whom Deeny knew would be arriving, ready to embark on another fun adventure. Her physical beauty had already blossomed and her lively character and zeal for life surrounded her with people wanting some of what she had.

After graduation she teamed up with best friend and cousin, Sandy and flew off to Europe for another grand adventure. Many memories were made over several months and she arrived back home to Edmonton and coincidentally met her future husband, Gordon Montgomery that day. It was love at first sight for Gord but Deeny spent the evening catching up and sharing stories with her girlfriends who were all so anxious to here of the girls’ adventures. At the end of the evening the normally shy individual coerced a kiss goodnight and when Deeny rolled down the window to accept, she quickly rolled it back up as Gord’s head came through the window and bruised his neck. After that shaky start he took off the next day for Mould Bay on Prince Patrick Island in the Canadian arctic where he spent a month flying a Twin Otter with his pilot friend Bill Wood, all the while falling further in love with her. Bill coincidentally was dating Deeny’s sister Lyla, so Gord got a lot of intel during the month at that remote location on the arctic tundra. On his return to civilization the serious courtship began.

Deeny and Gordon were married about 2 years later on May 1st, 1976 in Waldheim, Saskatchewan and moved to Timmins, Ontario where Gord flew and Deeny spread her wings. In the evenings they spent several occasions listening to a young Shania Twain sing in the lounge at the Empire Hotel albeit under a different name.

They were soon back to La Ronge in ’77 and Deeny worked for the Saskatchewan government while Gord flew bush planes until he was hired as a pilot by Air Canada in 1978 when they moved to Montreal. That was the year Deeny’s beloved father George passed away after suffering a stroke. She was devastated. Their first son Travis was born in Montreal in 1978 and after a transfer to Winnipeg in ‘79, another son, Jason joined the fray. In 1986 they moved to the West coast and resided in White Rock B.C. Deeny decided to take life to a new level and worked as a flight Attendant for Air BC, a west coast feeder airline for Air Canada. She loved it! They moved to the USA in 1995 and resided in Blaine until her passing.

Throughout her life, Deeny naturally made friends wherever she went during her extensive travels around the world with her husband Gord. She introduced the many groups to each other and acted as the glue to them all spreading love and joy wherever she went. Her ability to keep her calendar full with parties, golfing, traveling, appointments, shopping (and more shopping) was award-winning. Every day of each year was organized on a large paper calendar. People from all walks of life were drawn to her because of her comfortable, friendly demeanor.

It was a marriage with imperfections yet a love for the ages………….

Deeny was preceded in death by her sister Gina, her parents George & Irene, and brother Daniel. She is survived by her loving husband Gordon, their sons Travis (Kinina) and Jason (Kristina), sisters Marlene and Lyla, grandchildren, Skylar, Kayla, Channel, and her loving Cole along with many nieces and nephews and their families as well as other extended family and friends.

There will be two Celebrations of Deeny’s life. One in Birch Bay, WA on June 11 at Station 49 from 3pm-7pm (there will be a cash bar and music) and one in Waldheim, SK at the Waldheim Golf Course Clubhouse on July 9 at 3PM .

Our heartfelt thanks go to the teams below for their dedication to assist Deeny during her battle with cancer. The last 8 years she had were a gift:

Dr. LeTellier, Oncologist for his honest and compassionate care

All the wonderful nursing staff at Peace Health Cancer center for allowing her parties during chemotherapy.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Deeny’s honor may be made to Peace Health St. Joseph Cancer Center or Peace Health Whatcom Hospice House.

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