Dr. Margaret Mahoney

Dr. Margaret Mahoney, 86, of Great Falls and formerly of Louisville, KY, died March 11, 2018. Dr. Mahoney was the oldest of four children, Ruth, Bill and Susan born to Lillian and William Mahoney. After graduating Summa Cum Laude in 1953 from the University of Great Falls, she went to the University of Minnesota where she received both her Masters of Arts and PhD in Ancient History. In 1958, she became the first woman to teach at Bellarmine University, a college for men. Being the only woman faculty member until 1963, she became a favorite of her history students. She lectured without any notes and began each day where she stopped the day before. She never missed a class during her years as a professor. From 1965 until 1992, Dr. Mahoney was the Director of the Cardinal Section, Bellarmine’s first honors program. Graduates of this honors program and many history majors raised more than $25,000 to start the Dr. Margaret Mahoney Scholarship Fund, which enables talented needy students to attend Bellarmine. Dr. Mahoney was chair of the Social Science Division and then became the second chairperson of Bellarmine’s History/Political Science Department. A position she held until a few years before retirement. During her career, Dr. Mahoney was twice voted by the students as Teacher of the Year. She has received the William T. Miles Award, the Distinguished Service Award from Bellarmine Alumni Association, and the Monsignor Horrigan Award. Each summer, Dr. Mahoney traveled to Europe for additional studies in many countries. She also attended the prestigious Anglo American Historical Conference at the University of London. For her dedication to her students and absolute commitment to teaching, Bellarmine University honored her with the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa. During her last years at Bellarmine, she had colleagues who went beyond the call of duty to help her in many ways. Dr. Mahoney resided with her sister, Susan Stemple while in Great Falls, until she moved to Highgate. She is survived by brother William (Pat) Mahoney of Las Vegas, NV; sisters Susan Stemple and Ruth Jewett of Great Falls; niece Coleen Hedspeth; and nephews Tim Mahoney, Joel and Jon Jewett of Los Angeles and Tom Stemple of Great Falls. The family would like to thank the staff and caregivers at Highgate for taking such good care of our sister. Visitation will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Tues, March 20th at Schnider Funeral Home. A funeral liturgy will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 21, 2018 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, followed by burial at Mount Olivet Cemetery. Memorials in Dr. Mahoney’s name may be made to the Dr. Margaret Mahoney Scholarship Fund, 2001 Newburg Rd, Louisville, KY 40205 or Maclean Animal Center, PO Box 3426, Great Falls, MT 59403.