Alice made it to the remarkable age of 99.
\nMusic was a big part of Alice\u2019s life. She taught herself to play the piano well enough to become a church organist, if you\u2019re determined enough, you don\u2019t need lessons\u2026 just confidence and a congregation. She also made sure her daughters developed their musical talents, whether they realized they wanted to or not.<\/p>\n
Alice had an excellent sense of style and always took pride in looking \u201cput together,\u201d as she liked to say.\u00a0 Mom was an incredible seamstress, making her daughters\u2019 prom dresses and even Jan\u2019s wedding dress\u2014custom work, no returns, but fortunately no complaints either.
\nShe was also fiercely competitive, a trait she developed growing up with eleven siblings\u2014because in a family that size, second place probably meant you didn\u2019t get dessert. That competitive spirit never left her. Grandma beat her 10-year-old granddaughter in a game of basketball HORSE and likely didn\u2019t let her forget it. \u00a0At age 50 she was still out on the softball field playing against her own daughter.<\/p>\n
Alice remained faithful to her Catholic faith throughout her life, volunteering, and supporting her church community.
\nAlice managed to catch the eye of William Gustafson, a confirmed bachelor. After meeting her, Bill wisely reconsidered, and they enjoyed 34 years of marriage.
\nEducation was extremely important to Alice. She earned not one, but two education degrees\u201432 years apart. \u00a0At age 52, she went back to school full-time for a year, proving it\u2019s never too late to hit the books or outwork everyone half your age. All three of her children became teachers, so clearly, she was a very convincing role model.
\nAlice had a strong sense of adventure. She traveled across the country and around the world and at times took her family along for the ride. She played bridge for 70 years and then decided at age 90 to learn Mahjong\u2014because apparently, she needed a new challenge.
\nAnd just when most people are slowing down, Alice was speeding up\u2014ziplining and even tubing on the lake at 90 years old. Most of us would be relaxing in a lawn chair at that age.
\nAlice was driven and full of life\u2014someone who never stopped learning, competing, or embracing new experiences.<\/p>\n
Alice is survived by children: \u00a0Jan Zoanni (Dave), Joyce Lewis, James Gustafson (Ronda). grandchildren: Tara Moore, Tasha Smith, Matt Lewis, Kyle Lewis, KayCee Leingang, Shelby Gustafson; great-grandchildren: Lucy, Macklen, David, Thomas, Spencer, Kelton, Sayler, Ryker, Macallan, Brooks and Banks; sister: \u00a0Colette Hamele.<\/p>\n
Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at Saint Mary Catholic Community, 1700 Missoula Ave, in Helena. A reception will follow the Mass in the fellowship hall of the church.<\/p>\n","photo":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gustafson-Alice3.jpg","youtube_video_url":"","service_status":"public","event_title1":"Funeral Mass","event_date1":"2026-04-25","start_time1":"12:00 p.m.","end_time1":"","location1":"Saint Mary Catholic Community","address1":"1700 Missoula Avenue","city1":"Helena","state1":"Montana","zipcode1":"59601","event_title2":"","event_date2":"","start_time2":"","end_time2":"","location2":"","address2":"","city2":"","state2":"","zipcode2":"","event_title3":"","event_date3":"","start_time3":"","end_time3":"","location3":"","address3":"","city3":"","state3":"","zipcode3":"","event_title4":"","event_date4":"","start_time4":"","end_time4":"","location4":"","address4":"","city4":"","state4":"","zipcode4":"","event_title5":"","event_date5":"","start_time5":"","end_time5":"","location5":"","address5":"","city5":"","state5":"","zipcode5":"","event_title6":"","event_date":"","start_time6":"","end_time6":"","location6":"","address6":"","city6":"","state6":"","zipcode6":"","event_title7":"","event_date7":"","start_time7":"","end_time7":"","location7":"","address7":"","city7":"","state7":"","zipcode7":"","event_title8":"","event_date8":"","start_time8":"","end_time8":"","location8":"","address8":"","city8":"","state8":"","zipcode8":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case\/33066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/case"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}