Helen M. Rogers

The oldest of five children, Helen Marie Huntington Rogers was born on December 8, 1927, in Miles City, Montana to Arthur T. Huntington and Mabel A. Tucker Huntington. She attended school in Ballantine and graduated from Hardin High School in 1945. After attending business school for a year in Billings, Helen married Chester “Chet” Rogers in May of 1946. They lived in southern California for a few years before moving back to Hardin where their daughters, Cheryl and Bonnie were born. The family moved to San Diego in 1951, where they lived for 22 years. Chet and Helen moved to Utah for six years before returning to San Diego, and they made their final move to Great Falls in 2004. Helen was a bookkeeper for the family's precision metal works business and also used her artistic skills in floral shops. She was active in Job Daughters, serving on the council as Music Director, Bethel Guardian, and Deputy Grand Guardian. She was a past Worthy Matron of Olive Chapter OES, and a member of the Nile and Rainbow Garden clubs in Great Falls. An artist at heart, Helen was gifted with a needle and thread, even making Cheryl's wedding dress, which she designed and hand stitched the beadwork. She was also an extraordinary hostess and loved to plan parties and events - everything from the food, to designing, and making the decorations. Helen loved music and passed that love onto her daughters. Saturday house cleaning frequently led to the three singing around the piano. Helen and Chet loved going to dances, which happened to be where they met. They enjoyed traveling, making their way to New England, Hawaii, Alaska, and Australia. They also enjoyed various trips with their children and grandchildren. In addition to being artistic, Helen was also skillful with a gun and had a very keen eye. She and Chet enjoyed a good hunting trip where she was just as likely as Chet to shoot game of every size. Helen is survived by her daughters, Cheryl (John) Bobbitt of Frisco, TX and their sons, John E. (Julita) of Payson, AZ, James (Jessica) of Escondido, CA, and Jason (Nicole) of Frisco, TX; and Bonnie (Myrl) Nardinger of Great Falls, and their children, Alena (Alan) Prosser of Palmer, AK, Myles of Houston, TX, Amelia (Hector) Nardinger Saavedra of Portland, OR, and Marissa (Paul) Harren of Anchorage, AK; sisters, Velda (Gordon) Bice of Cottonwood, AZ and Carol Hurley of Peculiar, MO; sister-in-law, Karen Huntington of Pullman, ID; 14 great-grandchildren; and 2 great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years; her parents; and her brothers, Clinton and Bryan. A funeral service will be held on February 8, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Center (1304 13th St S, Great Falls, MT). In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Scottish Rite Childhood Language Disorders Clinic or the Rainbow Garden Club.