Nora Marie Gilligan

Nora Marie Gilligan, 103, passed away July 13, 2021. Nora was born in Great Falls, MT to Louis and Mary Scharrer. She was the second of five children. She attended the Ursuline Academy and graduated from Great Falls High in 1935. At age 19, she took a job with the IRS in Washington, D.C. There she met and married John Gilligan. They had six children. Nora was active in her church, St. Gerard’s, and then Holy Spirit Catholic Church volunteering her time and talent. She also volunteered at Columbus Hospital for thirty-five years. Nora was an excellent cook, and she made the best bread and cinnamon rolls in the world. She played tennis well into her eighties. Nora is survived by daughters, Mary Jo Cahill of Olympia, WA and Kathy Reed of Great Falls; sons, John (Mary Kay) Gilligan of Billings, MT, Mike (Tina) Gilligan of Folsom, CA, and Tim Gilligan of Great Falls; fifteen grandchildren; twenty-four great-grandchildren with another one on the way. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of fifty-one years, John; brothers, Louis, Joe, and Frank; sister, Mary Margaret Silloway; and son, Joe Gilligan. There will be a vigil on Friday, July 23, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. at O’Connor Memorial Chapel. A funeral liturgy will be held at Holy Spirit Catholic Church on Saturday, July 24, 2021, at 11:00 a.m.The burial will take place on Monday, July 26, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. at Mount Olivet Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Holy Spirit Catholic Church or a charity of your choice.