Rita G. Messier Fairbairn
Wednesday, December 16, 2020
Rita G. Messier Fairbairn, 96, passed away on Dec. 10, 2020. Rita was born April 5, 1924 in Waukon, Iowa to Laurence and Grace Hayford. Rita was the fourth of four children. In 1938, she moved to Seattle–Tacoma.
Rita met Lawrence “Larry” Messier while he was stationed in Washington (Company K from Lewistown). They were married on May 25, 1942. Rita and Larry were blessed with four children: Robert, Dennis, Barbara and Marlene. Rita and Larry moved to Lewistown at the end of WWII.
A couple of years later, land was purchased up Ruby Gulch and there they built their first home; using the local wood, a homemade lumber mill, and many long tedious hours of labor. Many years later it was sold, and it became known as “Raitt’s Roost.”