Gloria Preuss

Funeral Service for Gloria Preuss, 94, of Ekalaka will take place 11:00 am Monday July 7, 2025 at Ekalaka Bible Church. Visitation will be one hour prior to service. Burial to follow at Beaver Lodge.

Gloria passed away June 29, 2025 at Dahl Memorial in Ekalaka.

Gloria Ruth Preuss was born on December 6, 1930, in Plevna, Montana, to John and Clara (Christman) Schweigert. Shortly after her birth, the family moved to Ekalaka, Montana, where Gloria would remain for the rest of her life. She attended country school and later graduated from Carter County High School.

On July 18, 1950, Gloria married the love of her life, Vernon Preuss, in Belle Fourche, South Dakota. Together, they made their home in Ekalaka, where they began raising their family. Gloria contributed to her community through a variety of roles, including working at the local movie theater, running a café, and eventually serving as office manager at W&S Propane.

Adventurous and spirited, Gloria was never afraid to try something new. She took great pride in completing a solo flight and once competed as a local professional wrestler. Her competitive streak extended to the card table, where she was known to “only cheat when necessary.”

Gloria’s many talents enriched the lives of those around her. She was musically gifted, often playing the organ and singing at countless weddings, funerals and gatherings in the area. She loved to bake and garden, always sharing the fruits of her labor with family and friends. An avid outdoorswoman, she spent many happy hours raising animals and fishing the local waters.

Her faith was central to her life. She was a devoted member of the Ekalaka Bible Church and a proud member of the Eastern Star.

Gloria was deeply loved and will be profoundly missed by her daughter, Lisa (Eddie Powers) Cordell; her grandchildren, Chad (Amanda) Cordell, Lee (Alexandra) Cordell, and Gavin (Kara) Cordell; and her great-grandchildren, Camryn, Brooks, Paisley, Cashen, and Sawyer. She is also survived by her brothers Kenneth “Whitey” Schweigert and Charlie (Arlene) Schweigert; her sister, Carol (Paul) Hofeldt; her sister-in-law Doris Schweigert; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Clara; her husband, Vernon Preuss; her son, Phillip Preuss; three infant siblings—Mary Ann, Darrold, and Eugene Roy; her brothers Ervin Schweigert, Johnny (Eleanor) Schweigert, and Donald (Janet) Schweigert; her sisters Eleanor Talkington and Virginia (Leland) Gundlach; and her sister-in-law, Audrey Schweigert.

                                                           For Grandma Gloria In Memory and Honor

In Plevna’s dust where wheat fields sway, A girl was born one windswept day. One of twelve in a humble start, With nine who grew in body and heart.

Among her kin, both fierce and kind, She grew with laughter well entwined. Through hand-me-downs and campfire nights, She forged in family her guiding light.

Her bond with brothers, sisters dear, Was built on decades held sincere. They shared life’s burdens, shared its song— A family deep, resilient, strong.

She learned to wrestle, fly, and fight— A woman bold, a soul of light. She soared above the prairie skies, With courage burning in her eyes.

To Ekalaka’s hills she came, And proudly bore the town’s good name. She built a life with Vernon’s love— A steady hand, a gift from above.

They had a son, sweet Phillip’s smile, Lit up their hearts for one brief while. And though the heavens took him too soon, She filled the dark with love’s full bloom.

She opened wide her heart once more, And Lisa's laughter graced her door. “A child is precious,” she would say— And loved her fiercely every day.

She baked with joy, grew food with care, Cast lines in lakes, and caught her share. A hunter’s aim, a gatherer’s grace, With calloused hands and softened face.

Cards were dealt with mischief's grin— She “only cheated when she needed to win.” Yet kindness marked her every play, And laughter lit the longest day.

Three grandkids knew her warm embrace, Her legacy, her steady grace. To them, she was a guiding star, No matter where in life they are.

Her friends and kin will long recall Her open arms, her love for all. For Grandma Gloria, strong and true, There’s none who lived quite like you.