Mary Ann Darrow

Mary Ann (Reagen) Darrow, 83, of Great Falls, a homemaker and retired secretary/bookkeeper, died of natural causes on Thursday, August 30, 2012 at a local Peace Hospice facility.A memorial service will be held Friday, September 7, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. at Redeemer Lutheran Church with Reverend Marty Dryer officiating. Schnider Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.Mary Ann (Reagen) Darrow was born December 2, 1928 in Butte, Montana to Esther Brown Reagen and Michael J. Reagen. The family moved from Butte to the Glacier Park headquarters where her dad was a chef. During the fire of 1929, she and her mother were evacuated by train. She remembers her mother telling of holding a wet handkerchief over their mouths as the train went through flames on the way to Kalispell. She grew up in Kalispell. She married Edward N. Darrow on February 14, 1948 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Kalispell. Mary Ann resided in Great Falls since 1958. She worked as a secretary/bookkeeper at various businesses. She was called upon several times to be a matron for her husband during his long law enforcement career. This being a task she did not enjoy. After her husband's retirement, she wrote a book of his career for her family. Excerpts of seventeen of her stories were published in a women's history book relating to families that lived in county jails. The book is entitled THE SECRET LIFE OF A LAWMAN'S WIFE, written by BJ Alderman. This women's history is available in several "public" libraries.She was a charter member of Redeemer Lutheran Church, a member of the Sons of Norway, and enjoyed travels with the Summit Club. Her travels took her to most of all of the United States, several Canadian provinces, Mexico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Singapore, Hong Kong and Canton, China.Cruises were enjoyed to the Caribbean and the Mississippi River visiting civil war sites along the way.She was also a volunteer at the Montana Law Enforcement Museum. Mary Ann was an accomplished seamstress, devoting many hours at her sewing machine sewing and tailoring clothing for herself and her family. A quilt was lovingly made for each of her children and each of her six grandchildren.She was an avid reader, especially enjoying historical fiction, memoirs and biographies.She enjoyed travel, bible study, knitting, square dancing and golf.She logged hundreds of miles swimming laps at the Natatorium pool since 1982.In later years, she began oil painting and was awarded many ribbons for her paintings at the State Fair.She loved family camping trips to Glacier Park and Seeley Lake were her favorite areas where she enjoyed being able to just sit and watch the world go by.Mary Ann is survived by her children, Barry Darrow, Sunee Milstead of Missoula, Coleen (Richard) Browning of Great Falls, and Mark (Laurie) Darrow of Seeley Lake; grandchildren Dawn (Steve) Hjeim of Delta Junction, AK, Dana (Greg) Mattila of Scapoose, OR, Kyle Darrow and Kelly Darrow both of Seeley Lake, and Aaron and Allison Darrow of Hamilton; great-grandchildren Bryn and Darren Hjeim, Kallen Mattila and Merritt Mattila; sister-in-law Gerine Reagen of Woodburn, OR; niece Doreen Reagen of Torgerson, Bermuda; nephew Murray Reagen of Oklahoma City, OK; and very special friends, Pamela and Alby Martinez, Fred and Karen Strunk and Kathleen Malaughney. She was preceded in death by her parents, Esther Brown Reagen and Michael J. Reagen; her husband of 59years, Edward N. Darrow; stepfather Ed Hall; nieces Dee Dee Reagen and Debbie Reagen Buford; and a brother Marvin Reagen.Memorials are suggested to Redeemer Lutheran Church, 332 Riverview 3W, Great Falls, MT 59404 or the Great Falls "public" Library, 301 2nd Ave. N., Great Falls, MT 59401.