Dolly Jean Pandis, age 68, of Great Falls, MT passed away surrounded by her loving husband of over 50 years, Buck Pandis, and her three children, Dena, Bill, and Kelli in the early morning hours of December 5, 2021. Dolly was born on April 1, 1953, along with her twin sister, Donna, to Ernest and Helen Kunesh in Glendive, MT. Dolly spent her time growing up in Brockway, Circle, and Ryegate. Her father was a Navy Veteran and later a mechanic, and her mother was a nurse. Dolly had two older sisters and an older brother, her twin sister, and two younger brothers. She spent her high school years in Circle, and in Circle is where she met her best friend in life, Sandee Dean. Dolly met Buck in Circle in July of 1970 and on October 16, 1971, they were married in Great Falls, MT with their reception taking place in Monarch. In 1973, Buck and Dolly welcomed their first daughter, Dena. Three years later, in 1976 they welcomed their only son, Bill, and in 1979, their youngest daughter Kelli finished out their family. Their young family moved around Montana, living in Circle, Augusta, Joliet, and Butte, but they always found their way back to Great Falls. While living in Great Falls, Dolly worked for many years at the Sheraton Inn and the Heritage Inn. During the time working at these places, she discovered she had a knack for creating pieces of art using fruits and melons. She created great seascapes and animal sculptures that were the center pieces of many banquets and large gatherings. Even when she was not working at those places any longer, she continued to create those centerpieces for family functions. Some of the most cherished belongings of Dolly’s family were the quilts that she made. Those quilts were never far from her grandchildren, children, or her husband, whether they were at home, traveling, at hunting camp, or college. There is nothing more comforting than being wrapped up in one of Dolly’s quilts. Family time was especially important to Dolly. She had a large family and loved spending as much time as she could with all her family. When their children were young, there were many weekends spent at the lake or in the mountains, and even though it was a long trip, the family would try to travel to the eastern end of the state to spend time with her family. Dolly looked forward to Brockway Dairy Day each year. This was a family tradition, and her father Ernest was instrumental in organizing Dairy Day. Until her health slowed her down, she loved to attend each year, and to share that event with her grandchildren. Dolly loved to attend her children and grandchildren’s school functions, from band concerts to sporting events. She could be heard yelling at Bill during wrestling tournaments, above the rest of the crowd, telling him to “get mean!” Something that Buck and all her children were very proud of is when, despite being a full-time mom, and working full time, she decided it was time to finish school. She would work all day, come home, and make sure they were all taken care of, and then go to night school. She worked hard and proved to us all that it was never too late to take care of unfinished business, and there is nothing you cannot accomplish when you set your mind to it. Even though she had not lived in Circle for many years, Dolly loved her hometown and always kept up on the latest news from the Circle Banner, and the latest gossip from her family and friends. Dolly was preceded in death by her parents, Ernie and Helen Kunesh; twin sister, Donna Neumiller; nephews, Ian Kunesh and Chad Kunesh; and mother-in-law, Verda Pandis. She is survived by her husband, Buck, of Great Falls; daughter, Dena (Rick) Walker of Spokane, WA; son, Bill (Jaime) Pandis of Helena; daughter, Kelli (Tagan) LaFountain of Great Falls; grandchildren, Ciara and Kacey Walker of Spokane WA, Taylor Pandis-Sutton and Tagan LaFountain of Great Falls, and Madelynn and Hunter Pandis or Helena; brothers, Dick Kunesh of Helena, Tom (Gay) Kunesh of Miles City, Chuck Kunesh of Circle; and her sisters, Nancy (Darrell) Vannoy of Atlanta Il and Sue (Frito) Humphrey of Helena. Dolly is also survived by her sisters-in-law and great friends, Dody Pandis of Great Falls and Nancy (Dave) Anderson of Seattle, WA; her aunt, Betty Kunesh of Ryegate; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, great friends throughout her life. She is also survived by her wonderful friend, Roseann Carpenter, who spent many days with Dolly, having coffee and chatting the day away. The family wants to thank everyone for all the support you have shown Dolly over the last several years as she was fighting this horrible illness. No services are planned at this time and a memorial service will be scheduled at a later date.