Denis Kuki

Denise Kuki, 36, died in a vehicle accident about 7 miles east of Hinsdale, Mont., on Highway 2 on Friday, Oct. 25, 2013.

She was born on May 10, 1977, in Whitefish, Mont., the daughter of William and Louise (Zeiger) Kuki. When she was three months old she was adopted by Bill and Louise and was loved just as she was one of their own. She was raised in Hinsdale and graduated from Hinsdale high school. As a child, she was always energetic and active. Among many other things she enjoyed gymnastics during the summers, and was even known to do cartwheels on ice skates! In high school, she was very active on the basketball and track teams, as well as cheerleading, 4-H, and being in band. She was always on the move.

After high school, her goal was to serve our country and chose to enlist in the National Guard. However, after a suffering a shoulder injury during Basic Training at Fort Jackson in South Carolina, her goal became unattainable, so she shifted gears and pursued an education. She graduated from MSU-Billings in 2005 with a degree in accounting.

Billings was her home until moving back to Hinsdale in 2012. She was working for the Farmers Elevator in Glasgow. She enjoyed her work there because it combined her professional life with her love of animals and agriculture. She would often impress customers with her unexpected strength by easily carrying 100-pound bags of feed out to vehicles.

Her love of horses began at an early age. When she was 11 years old, she wrote an essay for a 4-H competition and won her beloved quarter horse, Frosty. She went on to compete in 4-H horse shows with Frosty, and also loved to go riding with friends. She even enjoyed going on wagon trains. She instilled her love of horses in her daughters, Kasey and Lacee. The three of them loved spending lots of time riding.

She was blessed with her daughter, Kasey, in 1999, and second daughter, Lacee, in 2005. She worked hard to be a good mom to her daughters and they enjoyed many fun times together. They enjoyed going to movies, riding horses, and also had a great time on their ski trip to South Dakota.

She lived with enthusiasm. She was adventurous, athletic, outgoing, and carefree. Let's all honor Denise by remembering her infectious smile and keep it going.

She was preceded in death by her sister, Lynn Kuki, in 1976.

Survivors include her parents, Bill and Louise Kuki, of Hinsdale; two daughters, Kasey Kuki, age 14, and Lacee Kuki, age 8; one sister, Michelle Neumann and her husband, James, of Great Falls; one nephew, Christian; two nieces, Emily and Ericka; as well as numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

Funeral services were held Wednesday, Oct. 30, at 11 a.m. at the First Lutheran Church in Hinsdale, followed by interment in the Hillview Cemetery in Hinsdale.

Bell Mortuary of Glasgow was in charge of arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to a Memorial/Education Fund for her girls set up at First Community Bank.