First, the love story. The story began when my mom and dad, Kay and Dan Antonietti, married in Butte, Montana in October 1954. 

Eight kids. Four moves. A myriad of memories. My dad died in 2017 following a broken hip. In subsequent years, my mom journeyed through dementia and died at the age of ninety-one.

Lives well lived, highlighted by my dad’s and mom’s obituaries and shared memories, my parents were reunited in March 2023. An urn atop a casket, their final resting place is at the Montana State Veterans Cemetery in Helena.

My mother’s dementia story has gained overriding focus these days as I’ve worked to raise money for Missoula’s 2026 Walk to End Alzheimer’s (WTEA) and my WTEA’s team, KayBob’s Crew. WTEAs are the Alzheimer’s Association’s largest fundraiser to raise awareness of–and money for–dementia care, support, and  research. The Association’s ultimate goal is to find a cure for Alzheimer’s and other dementias. 

On September 7th, GILD brewpub is partnering with the Alzheimer’s Association of Montana for their weekly Toast the Town Community Pint Night. One dollar from every pint sold between 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. will be donated to Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

Missoula’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s will be October 4th. As I walk, I will hold my mom and my father-in-law, Bob Buley, who died of dementia in 2022, in my heart.

Spreading the word about Toast the Town Pint Night and Walk to End Alzheimer’s has rekindled a second love story–a story of people and place. Missoula was the first of my parents’ moves in 1955. It was my birthplace and home for eight years. I’ve been back for forty-eight more.

Thank you to GILD for their commitment to give back to the Missoula community. Thank you, too, to the places that are displaying the WTEA flyers I offered: Missoula Public Library, Missoula Senior Center, Jeannette Rankin Peace Center, Missoula Family YMCA, Draught Works, and Spirit of Peace.

Special thanks to Partnership Health Center. A receptionist offered to make two copies of the WTEA poster and return the one I proffered. When she left to make copies, I looked around the reception area. I was filled with a deep sense of gratitude for Partnership’s dedication to dignified, accessible healthcare. Before I could share my appreciation with the receptionist upon her return, she said, “Thank you for all that you’re doing.” I told her I was about to say the same to her.

Thanks, too, to all who have donated to KayBob’s Crew, my page, Missoula’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s, and/or all who are planning to support WTEA at Gild on September 7th or at the WTEA in Missoula or elsewhere. There are more than 600 Walk to End Alzheimer’s nationwide. As the Alzheimer’s Association says, “Now is the time for hope. Now is the time for action.”