Alice Lorentz

Alice Lorentz, a true Great Falls icon, passed away peacefully on July 31, 2026. Born in Melstone, Montana, in 1928, Alice’s childhood was like an Ivan Doig novel. Her family lived in a sheepherder’s wagon while her father, Richard Stork (Grandpa Dick), headed up a crew of workers building roads in eastern Montana. As the need for new roads waned, Grandpa Dick turned to raising wheat and pigs until, at Grandma’s urging, they moved their young family to town. Grandpa seized upon a great opportunity and purchased the Custer Hotel and Café, which provided a welcome respite along the bustling train route and served as a boarding house for community teachers. It was at the café where young Alice learned the basics of service and hospitality. She helped with cooking, cleaning, and serving food at the hotel and café. The teachers who boarded there inspired Alice to pursue an education and obtain a teaching certificate.

In 1947, Alice set off for Bozeman to attend Montana State College (now Montana State University) and study art, home economics, and education. While studying art, she became acquainted with several prominent Montana artists such as Rudy Autio, Pete Voulkos, and Francis Senska. Alice also enjoyed an active collegiate social life as a member of the Chi Omega Sorority, where she made many lifelong friends and met a young Kappa Sig named Henry Lorentz. Alice saw potential in the shy, serious young man from Augusta, Montana, who had an eye toward dental school. The two courted and fell in love while working summer jobs in Yellowstone National Park. When they married shortly after graduation, their wedding was the pinnacle of the Custer social schedule.

As a young college-educated woman, Alice worked as a teacher first in Deer Lodge, Montana, and later in Saint Louis, Missouri, while Henry attended Washington University. Eventually, the couple returned to Montana and settled in Great Falls, where Henry purchased a dental practice and the couple set about starting a family and integrating into the community. Alice’s social skills and passion for service were integral to helping build the social network necessary for the dental practice to flourish. She and Henry loved to entertain as well as actively participate in both social and philanthropic organizations such as Junior League, Fortnightly, Rotary, and the Meadowlark Country Club.

It was through Junior League that Alice became involved with an exciting new project to memorialize Great Falls’ most famous former resident, Charlie Russell. Junior League took up the cause of the Trigg-Russell Memorial Gallery, beginning with the preservation of Charlie’s home and studio. The gallery later became known as the C.M. Russell Museum. Alice worked tirelessly, hosting fundraisers and spreading awareness for the project. As the museum took flight, she continued to serve as a docent and developed an educational program for local fifth-grade students, providing a hands-on experience with Montana’s colorful history. The gallery and museum became her life’s work, and in 2015 the museum honored Alice’s devoted service with the Josephine Trigg Award, the highest distinction given by the museum.

Alice never lost her passion for art education. As she and Henry became parents first to a set of twins, Wendy and Bill, and later to Lorrie and Toni, she continued to teach art and home economics as a substitute teacher for the Great Falls Public School system. As a mother, Alice was always involved with her kids’ activities. She was a den mother, a pack leader, a cheer squad, a chauffeur, an exchange student host, and chief cook and bottle washer. She used her creativity to build forts out of bedsheets, create elaborate Halloween costumes, make seasonal décor, and direct endless art projects. She loved being busy, so when the kids were off at school, she enjoyed part-time work with Beckman’s and the Glass Art Shop. In the summer, the family enjoyed trips to their cabin on Seeley Lake, where friends and family convened for endless hours of fishing, swimming, canoeing, and ping-pong battles.

As the matriarch of the Lorentz family, Alice enjoyed an active lifestyle and a taste for adventure. She loved to travel and explore new places and cultures. She and Henry skied through Europe, explored Spain, visited classmates in Hawaii, toured Africa, and traversed the United States, visiting friends and family. In 1978 and 1979, the family hosted an exchange student from New Zealand, Dianne Watton, who quickly became a member of the family when, upon arrival, she was presented with a cowboy hat and unceremoniously whisked off on a family vacation to California. The bond created that year resulted in a lifelong friendship, two trips to New Zealand, and several visits to the U.S. from the extended New Zealand family.

In time, Henry retired, and the couple remained active in the community until his passing in 2013. Alice maintained the big yellow house at the end of the golf course for many years before moving to what is now Iris Independent Living. Always a social butterfly, Alice became an integral part of the Iris community, where she served as a resident representative, tended the flowers, and was a central figure at “Thirsty Thursday.”

Alice’s 98 years were lived with gusto. Everywhere she went, she “held court.” Her personality was open and generous. She made the most of every opportunity and will be missed by many. She was predeceased by her husband, Henry Lorentz; siblings, Richard Stork and Marjean Cole. She is survived by her four children, Wendy Bistodeau (Terry, deceased), Bill Lorentz (Colleen Kelly), Lorrie Bertus (Dan), and Toni Lee (Steve, deceased); three grandchildren, Brian Bistodeau, Matthew Lorentz, and Megan Lorentz; six great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at the C.M. Russell Museum, 400 13th St S., Great Falls, on Friday, October 23, 2026, at 2:00 p.m., for one final, “Bye for now.” Donations to the C.M. Russell Museum, in lieu of flowers, are welcome.