Helen Frances Wilson

Great Falls native, Helen Frances Wilson died on December 6, 2018 at 105 years old. Helen was born July 29, 1913 in the original Columbus Hospital in Great Falls. She was the first born child of Douglas N. Wilson Sr. and Ethel Louise (Lambie) Wilson. Helen attended local schools including Washington grade school and Great Falls High School from which she graduated in 1931. Helen then attended Montana State College (now MSU) in Bozeman from 1932 to 1934 when she transferred to Montana State University (now UM) in Missoula from which she graduated in 1936. Helen then taught school in Fort Shaw and Scobey and worked several summers for the Red Bus Tours in Glacier Park before entering the U.S. Govenment Civil Service, which became a major career switch. She worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. From 1941 to 1943 and for the Internal Revenue Service in Helena and Great Falls from 1943 to 1948. In 1948, Helen transferred to the U.S. Forest Service working for the Lewis and Clark National Forest in the supervisor's office in Great Falls until her retirement in 1976. Helen was an active life-long member of the First Presbyterian Church. She also had been a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Junior League and Chapter Q, P.E.O. She also volunteered for the Red Cross and the Russell Museum. Her interests included travel, reading, bridge games, and symphony concerts. Helen traveled the world, including Scandanavia, England, Scotland, Ireland, China, Australia, and Alaska. Helen was strongly devoted to her family and lived for most of her life with her parents. She cared for her father until the end of his life at the age of 102. Until the end of her life, she was a font of knowledge of family history as well as family current events. She knew and loved her numerous grand neices and grand nephews and kept track of their latest growth and development. She spent many weekends and vacations at the family cabin at Monarch with her parents, siblings and nieces and nephews. For many years, she especially enjoyed the annual family reunions at Glacier Park celebrating her birthday until, due to health issues, she could no longer travel to Glacier. She was very much loved by her extended family who considered her more a grandmother than an aunt. Helen was preceded in death by her parents, Douglas and Ethel (Lambi) Wilson; brother NormanWilson; and sister Peggy Person. She is survived by her sister, Muriel Buckley of Great Falls; nieces and nephews Doug (Shirley) Wilson of Great Falls, Bob (Toni) Person of Helena, Kathryn Kress of Missoula, Marilyn (Steve) Schmidt of Missoula, Carol (Rick) Rockstad of Wenatchee, Washington, and Susan (John) Murnane of Choteau; 13 grand nieces and nephews and 10 great-grand nieces and nephews. The family thanks Sandy, April and Art at the Azalea Place for their wonderful care of Helen during her stay there. A memorial service will be at Hillcrest Lawn Memorial Chapel Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. Schnider Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.