Tamara Oats, 47, passed away due to natural causes at her residence on Sunday, July 18, 2021.  Wake services will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, July 19, 2021, and will continue until her funeral service, which will begin at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 20, 2021, all at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church.  Burial will follow in the Standing Rock Family Cemetery.  Holland & Bonine Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.

Tamara was born on February 26, 1974, in Havre to Leon and Norma (Standing Rock) Oats.  She was raised in Rocky Boy for most of her childhood, attending Rocky Boy Elementary and Box Elder High Schools.  While in high school, Tamara's family moved to Missoula, and she finished her high school education at Sentinel High School in 1992.  After high school, Tamara began working as a waitress at Viva Mexico, and toward the end of her work there, she attended Salish Kootenai College where she received her training as a heavy equipment operator.  For the rest of her life, Tamara worked as a heavy equipment operator, for several companies for the first several years, and in 2004 she began working for Schellinger, and remained with them until her death.

Tamara was an outgoing, social woman who enjoyed any outdoor activity, especially floating rivers and "folf" (frisbee-golf).  She enjoyed watching movie series, most specifically the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, and when she was younger, VC Andrews was her favorite author.

She was preceded in death by her father, Leon Oats; uncles, Keith and Roger Standing Rock; aunt, Maureen Standing Rock; and grandparents, Duncan and Victoria Standing Rock, and James and Madeline Oats.

Tamara is survived by her daughter, Jonnine (Billy Sirucek) Hernandez of Missoula; sons, Elvis Lindeman and Jordan (Kalynn) Standing Rock, all of Missoula; significant other, Shawn Lamere, Sr. of Missoula; mother, Norma Oats of Missoula; siblings, Chris (Kayna Firstrider) Standing Rock of Lolo and Kimberly (Guy Johnson) Standing Rock of Missoula; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and other extended family and friends.