Betsy Cohen
Don’t miss this obituary on Missoulian reporter Betsy Cohen, who died Monday at 49.
She worked for the Montana Standard in Butte and for the Missoulian from 1998 until her death. I only met her a few times and didn’t know her well, but I was impressed with her work.
Having now read her obituary, I wish I had known her better. She was a great reporter and apparently a remarkable person, talented in so many ways. Here’s one excerpt:
“During her Missoulian tenure, Betsy covered a dizzying array of issues – from forest fires to political brushfires, from community strife to campus life. In 2004, she extensively probed a million-dollar deficit in the University of Montana’s athletic budget, linked to improper accounting and poor budget oversight. Her stories helped UM officials steer the program back on track. At the Montana Standard, her work included covering the complexities of one of the nation’s most challenging environmental cleanup operations.”
Here’s another:
“Starting in 1986, she also put to use her prowess as a downhill skier as a longtime member of the Snowbowl Ski Patrol and Pro Patrol. Once, when a fellow ski patroller was swept away by an avalanche, rescuers encountered treacherous snow conditions. At great personal risk, Betsy reached her badly injured colleague first, providing critical aid and comfort. The National Ski Patrol awarded Betsy the Purple Merit Award for her heroism that day.”
She was also a runner and an equestrian:
“Just last summer, when effective chemotherapy enabled her to hoist herself back into the saddle, she won an equitation-over-fences class at Rebecca Farm, in Kalispell. The applause was thunderous.
“In 2008, friends lining Higgins Avenue cheered just as loudly as she crossed the finish line of the Missoula Marathon. She completed the 26.2-mile race in 5 hours, 15 seconds.”
What a woman, what a tribute.
