Missoula
The family adapted to the change quickly. Almost instantly, teenage Donnie tackled the rugged outdoors literally across the street from their house. In a few years, he became the epitome of the Montana mountain man, and an accomplished photographer in his own right.
Carole also developed life-long friends and took after Rodney with an interest in science, eventually completing her Master’s in Biology.
Marge fell in love with the quiet college town and began a long career at the University of Montana School of Art first as a student, then a grad student, and then a teacher.
Tragedy and Hope
Just as tragedy accompanied the birth of Carole 26 years earlier, two more events occurred in close proximity that would profoundly change Marge. First, Rodney developed late-stage schizophrenia and left Missoula, returning only intermittently.
Second, Carole met a nice young man, Bob LaRoche, who was about to finish law school. The two eloped and moved to Wolf Point, where Bob had his first job with Montana Legal Services.
Then, in sudden sequence, Carole gave birth to her first and only son, Chris, in 1972. Almost a year later, Rodney committed suicide in Georgia.
Missoula
Marge continued her prolific output dabbling in all sorts of media, themes, and styles, before settling on her mainstay: watercolors of the majestic Montana countryside.