Lucyann Alexander Lienesch

March 25, 1929 - May 28, 2017

Lucy Ann Lienesch, AKA Lucyann Lienesche, 88 Lucy Ann Alexander Lienesch passed away peacefully in Dillon, Montana on May 28, 2017. She was born on March 25, 1929, in Los Angeles, California to Charles Lienesch and Lucy Axtell Lienesch, both of Montana pioneer families. Her great grandfather, George D. Thomas of Illinois, saw Montana while on military duty, and in 1865 moved with his wife, Lucy Alexander Thomas, to old Gallatin City in the Three Forks vicinity about 1865. The Thomas cabin is under repair and will be erected again at Headwaters State Park at Three Forks. 1n 1866 George’s widowed brother William and 8 year-old nephew Charles were on the way from Illinois to Three Forks to join George and Lucy when they were killed by Indians along with their driver and another man. The Thomas Massacre graves are marked by a monument halfway between Big Timber and Greycliff.. Lucyann attended schools in Santa Monica and the Bay Area, studied piano at the San Francisco conservatory, and earned a BA at the University of California at Berkeley. When she was 20, her mother died, which was the triggering event for the schizophrenia from which she suffered almost her entire adult life. Lucyann went on to study for several years at the Juilliard School in New York City. While there, she taught kindergarten for a year, but was unable to continue due to her illness. The Presser Foundation, a philanthropic organization which assists musicians and music educators, provided her with monthly support for many years, and her frugality enabled her to spend a year hitch hiking around Europe. She was especially pleased to be able to locate and visit some distant Lienesch cousins in Germany and Holland. She eventually began spelling her name Lucyann Lienesche as a nod to her German/Dutch heritage. After living in Maine, New Mexico and Springhill, Montana, where her parents and grandparents had lived, she moved to Dillon about 15 years ago because she had the opportunity to buy a house she could afford. She taught piano for several years at the University of Montana Western. Lucyann’s later years saw a decline in her ability to care for herself, and she moved to Kindred Nursing and Rehab, where she enjoyed the friends and companionship she found there. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Jim and John, and her niece Rachel. She is survived by her niece Susan Lienesch, nephew Hans Lienesch of Kenmore, Washington, cousins Scott and Mike Pierce of the San Joaquin Valley, and Joan Axtell Renehan of Santa Barbara, CA. She will be remembered for her independent spirit and strong opinions, her honesty, her love of animal and children, her devotion to music, her concern for justice, and her bravery and resourcefulness in facing difficult circumstances. Her family is particularly grateful for her supportive friends in Dillon and Bozeman, Dr. Sandra McIntyre, the Presser Foundation, the Dillon Humane Society, and the care she received at Kindred. A memorial service will be held on Friday, June 16 at 1:30 PM in at the home of Pat and Dave Carrick in Dillon. Please call 805-698-5892 for information. Those wishing to remember Lucyann may donate to the Presser Foundation, 150 Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA 19102, or to the Dillon Humane Society.