Violet Perotta

“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life story will go.” Dieter Uchtdorf

Violet Rosetta Lightwood the 12th child born to George and Rosetta Lightwood on Dec 8th, 1921 London, England.

From an early age, she would be no stranger to adversity. At the age of two her left shoulder was crushed in an accident leaving her without full use of her left arm. Shortly thereafter she was stricken with Polio. Most of her early life was spent in braces and convalescing in hospitals. Unable to be outside she became an avid reader. Because of her handicaps, she was not permitted to attend public schools but was later accepted by an all-girls Episcopal school. In her preteen years, she would often skip school with her friend Vera to go to the movies to watch their Hollywood-idle Nelson Eddy. At one point she and Vera devised a plan to stow away on a ship freighter going to New York in hopes of meeting their idol. Fortunately, their parents caught wind of their plans and retrieved the girls at the dock. After she graduated, she went to work a hat millenary making fancy ladies’ hats. It was a job she often said she hated. As England entered WWII and men were being called to serve, she left her job at the Hat Millenary and went to work for the railroad.

It was during this time she met a Canadian soldier serving in England. They married later having a daughter Ann, and later a daughter Margaret who died two months after birth. Her husband also perished in the war. In 1944 she met a handsome American soldier, Louie Belmont from Sheridan, Wyoming who was serving in the Army Corp of Engineers. They courted most of 1944 and before being shipped back to the United States he proposed. Six months after returning to the States he had saved enough money to send for her and her daughter Ann. They were married September 22nd, 1945 in Harden, Montana later setting up housekeeping in a box car while Louie worked for the railroad as a track crew foreman. Later the railroad sent Louie to Kendrick, Wyoming where he and Vi lived in a railroad section house that had no running water, gas electricity, or bathroom amenities. In 1950 a daughter, Sandi was born, and then in 1952 a son Kenny. Louie quit his job with the railroad, moved to Sheridan to a little house on West 5th Street, and became a Sales Manager for Poll Motor car dealership.

In 1957 their last child was born, Anthony “Tony” Belmont. In 1958 the family moved to Lewis Street to a house previously owned by Louie’s brother Tony. Vi loved being a homemaker and a mom. She always said raising her children was some of the happiest times of her life. She was a beautiful seamstress, making most of the kid’s clothes, later prom dresses for Ann and Sandi, and then their wedding dresses. She and Louie divorced and Vi moved to Florida where years later she met and married Joseph Perrotta. After Joseph passed away it was at her daughter Sandi’s insistence that she move back to Sheridan to be closer to family. While in Sheridan she got reacquainted with many of her long-time English friends and also made other friends in her apartment complex. She loved hosting tea parties and luncheons which were always fun and entertaining for all who attended. Christmas was her favorite of all holidays and every room in her apartment was decorated with numerous trees and Christmas décor. People who came into her apartment during Christmas always said how much they enjoyed seeing all of her decorations and experiencing the warm and festive environment.

As Vi began to age the Polio began to take a greater toll on her body which then resulted in 6 hip replacements, 3 knee replacements, a complete shoulder replacement, and operations on her feet to try to correct the deformities caused by Polio. In 2016 she fell and broke both of her femurs which resulted in a number of operations and bone replacements. After breaking her femur, she never walked again but got around using a power chair. In 2019 she got an ear infection which led to total loss of her hearing. She had macular degeneration which resulted in loss of sight in her right eye and most of the sight in her left. She lived in her apartment until her death, she cooked for herself, worked on little craft projects, and still held tea parties from time to time. On the days she was feeling down or depressed she always said she had to give herself a good talking to and she would say “Buck up, there are so many people who are far worse off than me.” She was an inspiration to all who met her and she will be greatly missed by everyone whose life she touched. It’s so very difficult to put 102 years of a person’s life into a few paragraphs. She was strong-willed, fearless, and a force to be reckoned with.

Rest in peace mom.

Services will be held later this summer at St. Peter’s Church.

Online condolences may be written at www.kanefuneral.com. Kane Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.