Anna Charlene Abbott Orem, 97

Anna Charlene Abbott Orem, 97, lovingly known as Charlene, went home to be with her Lord and Savior, surrounded by her family, after a life marked by humility, strength and steadfast faith.

Born on July 12, 1928, in Goree, Texas, to Arthur and Clara May Smith Abbott, Charlene entered the world in a small farmhouse at the dawn of the Great Depression. She grew up learning the values of hard work, perseverance, and devotion to God while living on tenant farms in Texas and later on the high plains near Roy, New Mexico. Along with her older brother Dub and younger brother Don, she grew up helping in the fields and learning to make do, to treasure small blessings. Her youth formed the resilient spirit that defined her life.

As a young woman, Charlene was independent and capable, driving tractors at 15 and riding horseback across open range. After high school, she met Everett Gene Orem, the love of her life. They married in 1947. Together they weathered the uncertainties of wartime and construction work, which took them across the West. Eventually, they settled their young family in Columbia Falls where they built both a home and a legacy.

On their land at the base of Columbia Mountain, Charlene raised her four children, tended large gardens, canned hundreds of quarts of vegetables each year, baked the most delicious apple pies and helped raise cattle. While Gene worked at the aluminum plant, it was Charlene who managed the farm — spending hours and hours on a tractor baling hay. To four generations of family, her home was a gathering place filled with love and laughter. She was the ultimate grandmother.

Gene preceded her in death in 2000. She was also preceded in death by her youngest daughter, Barbara Jean Orem; her parents; her brothers and their wives.

She is survived by her daughter, Kyle Beach; granddaughter, Shauna Lane (Justin) and great-granddaughter, Hannah Schaffer (Will); daughter, Belinda Orem; son, Dale Orem (Kristy); grandchildren, Sarah O’Rourke (Ryan) and great-granddaughter, Adeline; Alyson Dorr (Casey) and great-granddaughters, Elaina and Evelynne; Beau Orem (Amy) and great-grandchildren, Henry Gene and Madison; Morgan Hargin (Zack) and great-granddaughter, Regan. Her great-grandchildren were the delight of her later years, and nothing brought her greater joy than their visits, their laughter, and watching them grow.

As a widow, Charlene clung to Psalm 4:8, “I will both lay me down in peace, and rest for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.” She lived independently until she was 92. Charlene battled breast cancer in 2004 and endured two knee replacements with characteristic grit. After suffering a stroke in January 2021, she was lovingly cared for at home by her family and later by the compassionate caregivers at Beehive Assisted Living in Columbia Falls. She remained surrounded by love until her final days.

Her faith in Jesus Christ was the cornerstone of her life. A faithful member of First Baptist Church in Columbia Falls, she served joyfully through Missionary Circle. Her daily prayer life and steady commitment to reading the Bible were a quiet testimony to her deep relationship with God.

Reflecting on her life, Charlene once said, “My life has been simple.” Yet her 97 years spanned extraordinary change — from farming with horses to the technological age. What never changed was her humility, her devotion to family, and her unwavering trust in the Lord.

Her life was beautiful in the way that matters most: rich in faith, steadfast in love, and devotion to family.

Visitation was Tuesday, Feb. 24, at Columbia Mortuary. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at First Baptist Church of Columbia Falls with a reception to follow. A graveside committal will begin at 3 p.m. at Fairview Cemetery in Columbia Falls. 

To share online condolences and memories, please visit columbiamortuary.com. Columbia Mortuary in Columbia Falls is caring for the family.