Darlene Lucille Donovan

Darlene Lucille Donovan, 68, passed away September 8, 2025, at home in Belgrade after a brief, unexpected battle with ovarian cancer.

Darlene was born in Shelby, MT, December 17, 1956, the youngest of three children to Johnny and Gladys Morrison. She grew up in the Sweetgrass Hills with her numerous aunts, uncles and cousins, learning how to sew at an early age making Barbie doll clothes as well as her own. She helped her parents on the ranch, cooking, fencing, haying and sheep tending. When she finished 8th grade, the school north of Whitlash was closed, so she rode the bus to Chester High School for 4 years.

Upon graduating high school, she moved to Shelby where she worked at the Cinderella Dress Shop, 1st State Bank, Buttreys, and, finally, the U.S. Post Office. In the summer of 1981, she began dating Mark Donovan. October 9, 1982, they were married and moved to Bozeman where Mark finished college at MSU and Darlene continued her career with the postal service. She became clerk in charge of distribution for all of Bozeman. She loved her job and those she worked with, retiring in 2016.

After Mark graduated from MSU in 1985, they traveled to places like Mexico and Africa, where Darlene bagged a nice Kudu as well as a Wildebeest and an Impala. In 1994 they built their forever home on 5 acres in the Springhill area. Their son Kyle arrived in 1998. When Kyle was young, she taught him the joy of raising lambs and started her own herd, which eventually reached 35 head.

In 2002 they bought a Brittany, Rusty, to do some bird hunting. Rusty won a national pointing dog field trial in 2007. Darlene sold her sheep and began breeding brittanies, training them and field trialing. In 2019 she and her dog, Willie, placed 3rd in the Purina National Endurance Trial in Lewistown, MT. She became skilled with a shotgun and loved hunting pheasants, huns and sharptail. She enjoyed many days hunting upland birds in the Sweetgrass Hills, where she grew up.

Darlene was a member of the NRA, an active member with Headwaters Gun Dog Club, and Big Sky Region NSTRA. She loved feeding people wherever she went and was respected as a fierce competitor when she showed up with her dogs. Loved and respected all over the U.S., she will be missed by many. During winter months she embraced her other passion, her sewing room, where she made beautiful quilts, home dec projects and clothes.

She is survived by her husband, Mark; son, Kyle; brothers, Kenny and C.R. Morrison (Alice); nieces, Darci, Dana and Sheila; cousins, Natali Ghekieri and Bob Morrison; as well as numerous, cousins, nieces and nephews, and everyone from the clans Donovan, Morrison, McDermott, Dolezal, Lakey, Nash, and Getz. She is also survived by her beloved brittanies, Kit, Willie, Dew, Rudy, Ada and Buster. She is predeceased by her parents Johnny and Gladys Morrison.

A graveside service will take place Saturday, October 11, 2025, 2:00 p.m., at the Mt. View Cemetery in Shelby, MT. A reception will immediately follow the service at the Comfort Inn, 455 McKinley. Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at www.dahlcares.com.