Laura Gooley

Laura Jessie “Sis” Newgard Gooley, 97, passed away peacefully on July 10, 2025, at Beehive Homes in Missoula, Montana. Born at home on Halloween Eve in Pablo, Montana, Sis was the youngest of ten children born to Fredrick and Josie Newgard.

Sis graduated from Pablo and Ronan public schools and later earned her Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) degree from the Missoula Vocational School of Technology in 1966. She married Sidney J. Gooley in 1945, and together they built a life grounded in love, family, and community. After Sid’s passing in 2002, Sis later married Dean Robertson in 2005, and they shared 15 years until his passing in 2020.

Sis led a rich and adventurous life filled with creativity, generosity, and deep connections. A proud member of the First Christian Church and a lifelong member of Sons of Norway – Normanden Lodge 4-424, she celebrated her Norwegian heritage through travel, art, Folk dancing, and traditional cooking. Sis was known for making Lefse and Rosettes for the Holidays. She loved to pick huckleberries and baked delicious pies for family reunions, friends, and family. Sis and Sid were known for making thousands of Vikings on a stick with other Lodge members to be sold as fund raisers at the Missoula County Fair.

She devoted time to Habitat for Humanity, serving on the Board of Directors and baking cookies for volunteers. Her artistic talents spanned oil, acrylic, and watercolor painting, and her love for gardening, golf, and crafts filled her days with joy.

A devoted mother to Guy, Dennis, and Suzanne, Sis instilled in her children values of hard work, compassion, and curiosity. Her nursing career at Missoula Community Hospital and Hellgate High School touched many lives through her kindness and care. In retirement, Sis and Sid made Yuma, Arizona their winter home, where she continued volunteering—offering love to newborns in the NICU and support to orphanages in Mexico. After Sid’s death, Sis continued to winter in Arizona.

Courageous and full of spirit, Sis was always ready for a new adventure—even rafting the Class III rapids of the Lochsa River in her seventies.

She is preceded in death by her husbands, Sidney Gooley and Dean Robertson; daughter Suzanne Gail Gooley; grandson Scott James Gooley; and all nine of her siblings.

She is survived by her sons Guy Gooley (Linda) and Dennis Gooley (Leann); grandchildren Michelle (Loren) Leiby, Matthew Gooley (Julie Tripp), and Michael Gooley (Leah); great-grandchildren Brooklyn and Ryeland Leiby, and Olivia Jane Gooley; and her dearest friend, Harold Hanger, and her many loving nieces and nephews

A service will be held on August 1, 2025, at 12:00 PM at Garden City Funeral Home, 1705 W. Broadway, Missoula, with Pastor Russell Barber officiating. A reception will follow from 1:00 to 2:45 PM, and burial will take place at Missoula City Cemetery, 2000 Cemetery Rd from 3:00 to 4:00 PM.

A special thank-you to the staff at Beehive Homes for their comfort, kindness, and love for Sis's stay in house 2. Special thanks to Big Sky Hospice staff for her end-of-life care.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Sis's name may be made to:

Habitat for Humanity: PO Box 7181, Missoula, MT 59807 or habitatmissoula.org

Missoula Food Bank: 1720 Wyoming Street, Missoula, MT 59801 or missoulafoodbank.org

Sons of Norway Scholarship Fund: 5795 U.S. HWY 93 South, Missoula, MT 59804 sofnmissoula.com