Gainan Family Endowed Scholarship in Memory of Elizabeth "G'ma G" Gainan

Elizabeth “Betty” Franzen Gainan was born August 11, 1917, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her growing-up years were spent in Minnesota and Iowa. In 1935 she moved with her family to Billings, Montana. In 1938, Betty earned her education diploma at Eastern Montana College (now MSU Billings). That same year, she met Grant Gainan; they married on August 11, 1939. In 1951, Betty and Grant embarked on a new adventure, opening a flower shop called Gainan’s Flowers. The operation started small – Grant ran the store with the help of Betty, his mother and a bookkeeper – but soon they cultivated a loyal following as the florist provided friendship and flowers for life’s milestones, including birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and deaths. Eventually the business, now known as Gainan’s Flowers and Garden Center, expanded to three stores and a website. The family grew, too. At one point, three generations were working at Gainan’s. Betty relished her role as “G’ma G” spending time with her family and extended family at the Billings business. “Bloom where you are planted” was one of her mottos. Betty passed away on June 5, 2004, at age 86. In memory of “G’ma G” the Gainan family established the Gainan Family Scholarship Endowment Fund in Memory of Elizabeth “G’ma G” Gainan in 2005 to provide financial assistance to business majors at MSU Billings. The first scholarship was awarded in academic year 2009-2010.