Berniece Helen Jeakins

Helen Jeakins (Drew) was a force of nature who touched the lives of many. Born in Red Lodge, Montana on October 4, 1936. Helen made a home for her family in Missoula. She delighted in her real estate career, which featured numerous awards and commendations, including Missoula County and Montana State Realtor of the Year multiple times, and being appointed by Governor Stan Stephens to the Montana Board of Realty Regulation in 1993.

Helen began her transition to retirement in 1990, purchasing the house on Flathead Lake where she peacefully passed away surrounded by her family. Perhaps she knew how special the house would become to countless people when she purchased it.

Many have said she never met a stranger. She built an incomparable community of neighbors and friends, who could often be found sharing a cup of coffee on her deck in the mornings or stopping by for a visit. She also created a home base for her family, welcoming everyone for winter trips to Blacktail Mountain and summers spent enjoying the lake together. Ultimately it was not the house that was special – it was being with “Nana.” It is impossible to put into words what Helen meant to her family and how much they all loved her. She had her rules posted prominently on her fridge. If you drop it, pick it up; if you spill it, clean it up; and most importantly, if you open it, close it. Helen’s family will continue to break that rule, as their memories of and love for her is a door that will never be closed.

Helen passed peacefully on June 10, 2025, at her home on Rainbow Lane surrounded by her family. She joins her parents, Margaret and August Drew, and her brother Warren.

She is survived by her children Jodi Jeakins-Kok and her husband Kris , Jill Jeakins and her wife Kaje, and Janna Jeakins and her husband Tim, as well as the grandchildren she adored so much, Halden Sharkey (Ryan), Maggie McGrath (Quinn), Grace Kok, Drew Lombardi (Anna) Sam Kok (Sylvie), Sophie Moynihan, Lena Lombardi, and Eve Moynihan, along with her five great grandchildren.

Her family would like to thank the wonderful team of medical providers at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Polson, Dr. Sally Scott and the providers at Montana Cancer Center in Missoula, and her extraordinary Hospice Nurse Rhea DeLong. We will also be forever grateful to her neighbors and friends whose support allowed her to stay in her cherished home on Flathead Lake and to fill it with an abundance of joy.

Donations in her memory can be made to Planned Parenthood, the Trevor Project or the American Civil Liberties Union

A service will be held Sat. July 19, 2025, at 12:30 pm at the family home in Dayton.