Tina Marie Bean

Tina Marie Dupuis was born January 16, 1959, in Polson, Montana to Donald and Shirley Dupuis. She joined her older sister Pamela at the family home where their lifelong friendship began and endured until her passing early in the morning on March 18, 2026.

Tina graduated from Polson High school in 1977 and attended the University of Montana as well as beauty school in Missoula. She was a die-hard Grizzly football fan, attending many games with friends and family. One of the best was the first night game, a playoff game, where ESPN brought lights to Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Tina and Pam rode a fan bus to the game and when they caught sight of that stadium all lit, they said the whole bus when quiet in awe of that sight. It was freezing cold and the Grizzlies lost but it ranked as one of the best games we ever went to.

Tina married Rande Walton in June of 1981 and three children were born from this union, Jefferson, Holly, and Melissa. Tina adored her three kids from the time they were young and her grandkids Romi, Mason, Emmett, Jace, Kyree, Iriss, and Ryder. As sometimes happens in life Tina and Rande divorced but they both happily remarried later in life.

Tina was known in Ronan for her smoke shop Tina Marie’s which she ran for nearly 20 years, employing lots of friends and family along the way. She was generous to her employees and a fun crazy Aunt to her niece Stephanie Perry and her three nephews Sean, Spencer and Shane Perry. One of their favorite memories was “family gambling night” where she gave the kids money to play her

Keno machines when Tina Marie’s was closed, they loved that, she even paid them if they won!!

Tina married Josh Bean in June of 2007 and she was as happy as she had ever been with Josh. She loved him deeply and had the time of her life with him in Beantown. She was very fond of Josh’s family especially his parents Harry & Judy Bean as well as his grandparents Bob & Dorothy Deschamps.

Tina lived the last 9 years in Elmo, where she jokingly referred to herself as the mayor of Elmo. She loved her friends and neighbors and truly felt at home up there. She was diagnosed in late September 2025 with pancreatic cancer and she passed away less than 6 months later.

Tina was preceded in death by her infant son Jason, her father Donny Dupuis, her stepfather Don Ambrose, and her former brother-in-law Carl Perry and her former husband Josh Bean.

She is survived by her three children Jeff and his girlfriend Codi and his son Jace, Holly and her significant other Jesse Moses and their daughters Kyree, Iriss and Ryder, Melissa and her husband Roddy Oden and their three children Romi, Mason and Emmett. Tina is also survived by her mother Shirley Ambrose, her sister Pamela Dupuis and her husband Mark Weatherhead, and by her niece Stephanie Perry and her nephews Sean, Spencer & Shane Perry all of Polson, and by her former husband Josh Bean.

A memorial service is planned for Saturday March 28th at 1pm at Elmo Hall with a meal to follow at the Polson Indian Senior Center.

Everyone is welcome to come celebrate the life of Tina Marie.