Irene "Renee" (Helland) Cook

Irene Phyllis (Renee) Cook passed away peacefully on November 9, 2015.

Renee was born December 1st, 1927 to Hjelmer and Julia Helland the fourth of seven children in Griggs County ND.  She married Gilman Fliflet in January 1946 in Hannaford ND.  To this union they had 10 children.  The family moved to Plains in 1955.  Gilman passed away in September 1960 in Plains.  She later married Wes Cook, they had two children.  Wes passed away in June 1982.

Renee lived in the Bitterroot Valley for 52 years.  During that time she and Wes had a restaurant in Stevensville then later one of the first upholstery shops in the valley.  Renee worked in the upholstery business until 1990.  Renee was very good at her trade upholstering many vehicle seats, chairs couches and anything that she could sew.   She also worked in a number of restaurants in the Hamilton and Missoula area.  She was a cook, waitress and anything else that needed to be done including pies and salads.  There wasn’t anything she couldn’t master from cooking to sewing and poetry.

Renee is survived by her 11 remaining children; Julie (Bob) Hilliard, Jeannie (Gene) Boyle, Randy Fliflet, Brenda Skaw, Robert (Karen) Fliflet, Greg (Patti) Fliflet, Darcy (Bonnie Lash) Fliflet, Lucy (Dean) Wilson, Corrine Carson, Brad (Cindy) Cook and Trenee Cook (Jeff Bierse). 

Renee was preceded in death by her husbands, Gilman and Wes, parents Hjelmer & Julia, one daughter Terri Hurley, two sisters and a brother and numerous aunts and uncles.  She is also survived by 31 grand children, 59 great grandchildren and 22 great-great grandchildren, one sister, Gladys Vammen and two brothers Howard (Vi) Helland, and Gordon (Sharon) Helland and many nieces and nephews. 

Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday at the Daly-Leach Chapel.

Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, November 14, 2015 at the Daly-Leach Chapel in Hamilton, interment will be follow at Riverview Cemetery.