Anne O. Trunkle

Anne O. Trunkle, 87, of Great Falls, passed away on Friday, April 27, 2018 at Peace Hospice. A vigil service will be Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. The funeral liturgy will be Wednesday, May 2, 2018 also at Holy Spirit with burial to follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery. Schnider Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. Anne was born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario on September 6, 1930, the daughter of Anton and Stella (Moroz) Havrot. She attended Ontario School for the Deaf in Belleville, Ontario. Anne excelled in many subjects, especially sewing. After spending a few years helping her mother operate her confectionary store, Anne moved to Toronto where she was employed at an insurance agency. It was during this time, she met James (Jim) Trunkle at a deaf club in Toronto. She married Jim Trunkle on August 25, 1956 in Toronto, Ontario and moved to Detroit, Michigan. In 1969, they moved to Great Falls, Montana. It was there they enjoyed many years of family gatherings and outings, and epic water fights. Anne especially enjoyed watching her children and grandchildren in music, theatrical, and sporting events. While living in Great Falls, Anne was employed as seamstress doing alterations for the Style Shop and the Wedding Cottage for a number of years until she retired. Anne was a lifelong member of the International Catholic Association of the Deaf, Great Falls Club of the Deaf, and Holy Spirit Catholic Church. She enjoyed traveling to the ICDA conventions back east with her husband Jim. One of Anne’s fondest memories was traveling to Tijuana, Mexico on a mission trip with her daughter, Annie’s youth ministry group. They spent ten days camping and building homes for the less fortunate, where Anne and Jim made friends with the impoverished, young teens, and adult chaperones. One of the highlights of Anne’s life journey was to travel to Medjugorje, Bosnia Herzegovina with a group of 54 deaf friends. It was a spiritual experience of a lifetime, meeting people from all walks of life and faith expressions from around the world. She enjoyed oil and watercolor painting, gardening, quilting, crafts, sewing, and especially spending time with her cherished family and friends. She truly was God’s faithful servant filled with grace, joy and unconditional love for all. Anne is survived by her husband Jim, of 61 years; daughters Katherine (Larry) Meier of Great Falls and Annie Trunkle (Roger) Smart of Lind, WA; sons Philip (Shelly) Trunkle of Billings, Thomas (Kelly Keilman)of Great Falls, and Peter Trunkle of Missoula; son-in-law, Sean Thornburg of Bozeman; nine grandchildren, Joe (Valerie) Meier, Katie Meier, Matt Meier, Meredith and Sydney Trunkle, Sophie Smart, Austin, Aubree, and Braedon Trunkle; great-granddaughter Marie; brother Ted Havrot of Ottawa, Ontario; her numerous nieces and nephews in the U. S. and Canada; and last but not least, her precious feline friend, Zorro. She was preceded in death by her lovely, adored daughter, Theresa Trunkle Thornburg; and siblings, Edward, Al, and Sofia Havrot. On behalf of the Trunkle family, we would like to thank the entire Peace Hospice staff for the incredible and tender care they so lovingly gave to Anne. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Benefis Peace Hospice Foundation, Holy Spirit Catholic Church, the Ursuline Centre, or the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind Foundation.