Carla Beth Boettcher
Lake County Leader | UPDATED 2 weeks, 1 day AGO
Carla Beth Boettcher was born Jan. 13 (not a Friday), 1944, to Genevieve (Whealon) Boettcher and William Carlton (Curly) Boettcher Sr. in Polson.
Carla graduated from Polson High School in 1962. While in high school she was a three-year cheerleader for the mighty Pirates.
She enrolled at the University of Montana in the fall of 1962 and while there was a proud member of Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority. After graduating in 1966 with a BA in Business Administration and armed with a teaching certificate, she lit out for California. While there she taught high school Business in Baldwin Park, Calif., for four years.
Carla married Doug Booker in West Covina, Calif., in 1969. One year later they moved back to Montana where Doug completed his education at the University of Montana. They divorced in 1974. While back in Montana Carla worked in Missoula, Helena and Boulder.
After the death of her parents, her dad in 1973 and her mom in 1976, she returned to California, residing in Marina Del Rey. She lived there for 18 years working as an accountant for several CPA firms. She also earned her real estate license.
Those were very happy years for Carla, and she made some exciting and fun lifetime friends.
In 1993, Carla followed her heart and moved back to the Big Sky Country where she worked and retired from the University of Montana as a fund accountant for research grants. She then worked seven years as the office manager for Burlington Square Senior Apartments in Missoula.
While in Missoula, Carla had many friends who she treasured greatly. Her friends included Pat and Cathy Schwenk, who considered Carla as one of the family, as did their children and grandchildren.
Carla had many interests with the number one to be a good friend to her many friends. Other interests were Griz football, Flathead Lake, reading mysteries, TV crime dramas, puzzles and gazing at the Clark Fork River from her apartment deck.
Carla leaves her brothers, Bill and Jamie Boettcher, as well as cousins Karen Amundson, Rose (Ashley Whealon) McBurney, Jerry and Jim Whealon and their respective families.
Carla passed away from lung cancer with her brothers at her side, on Dec. 12, 2025, in Missoula. She lived a full life on her own terms. She will be missed by many friends and her family.
She requested that no service be held, however, there will be a remembrance this summer as we spread her ashes on Flathead Lake and at Boettcher Park.