Elyse Matejovsky

Elyse “Lee” Matejovsky, 92, of Hope, Idaho, died on June 2, 2024, in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

The eldest child of Thelma (Herting) and Leo Durkin, Lee was born in 1931 in Wolf Point, Mont. When she was three years old, the family moved to Renton, Wash., where she lived until age 15. There, she developed a lifelong love of gardening, classical music and fine art.

On returning to Wolf Point, Lee roomed with Hazel Neutgens while working at the Sweet Shop Café. She met Charles Matejovsky soon after he returned from military service in Korea. They married in 1949 and moved to his family homestead northeast of Wolf Point, where they stayed for several years before moving into town to be closer to schools. In the early 1960s, the family moved to a farm just east of Wolf Point. During the winter months, Lee helped Chuck draw plans and finish the interiors of their rental homes.

Lee was active in the Wolf Point business community. She was a talented seamstress with a keen eye for color, fabric and fashion. In March of 1963, she, Florence Lenz and Mary Rowan opened a ladies’ dress shop called the Classic Shop. Traveling to Minneapolis, Minn., to choose clothing for the next season topped Lee’s list of favorite things to do. After they sold the shop in the late 1960s, she opened and operated a fabric store called the Fabric Boutique.

As a business owner, Lee became an active member of the Wolf Point Chamber of Commerce. She was also active on the county and state political front. In 1980, she helped Ted Schwinden with his successful gubernatorial campaign. In August 1983, he appointed her to the Women in Employment Advisory Council for the state of Montana.

She also worked for several years with the U.S. Census Bureau, interviewing people on the Fort Peck Reservation. In 1992, she was elected to the Roosevelt County Commission, becoming the first-ever female to serve as commissioner there.

Lee had an unusually fine voice. She loved to sing and often sang the blues as she