Bernadette Laughlin, 74

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 07:00:26 +0000

Bernadette Laughlin, 74, of Bozeman, died peacefully on July 22, 2026, at her home on West Olive Street, the same house she bought in 1997 for what she always described as “a perfectly reasonable amount of money” and which the county now assesses at a figure that made her laugh until she cried.

Born Bernadette O’Malley on March 14, 1952, in Butte, she arrived in the valley for a summer season at Bridger Bowl and stayed for the next twenty-nine winters. She worked the bulk aisle at the Community Food Co-op for two decades, where she memorized the bulk codes for nutritional yeast and steel-cut oats and could steer any tourist toward the local honey without breaking stride.

Longtime Locals on The Bozeman Daily Bee

Bernadette Laughlin, 74