Karen Quirk

Karen Quirk, 83, of Black Eagle, Montana, passed away September 5, 2019. She was born on March 29, 1936, to Harry and Muriel Sorensen in Muskegon, Michigan. Her family moved to Great Falls, Montana in 1951. She was a ballet, tap, and toe dancer, as well as, a dance instructor starting at a young age. She met the love of her life, David Quirk in August of 1953 and was married on December 26, 1953. Their marriage lasted 64 years until "death do us part" when dad left us August 30, 2017. Mom was never the same again, as she mentally left with him on that day. Mom continually asked about him, and always wanted to make sure we were taking care of him, and that he was fed. The dementia never allowed her to remember he was gone. Their marriage was a journey of a lifetime that she thoroughly enjoyed. On November 15, 1954, she gave birth to her first born, Daniel Quirk. When Dan was just 1 year old, mom and Dan traveled by ship to Morocco in North Africa where dad was stationed. That, in itself, was an experience she loved to talk about. After returning to the United States, the family was stationed in Moses Lake, Washington where Tami was born in October of 1958, and Linda was born in October 1961. In 1963, our family moved to live in Germany until 1967. Mom taught ballet and tap dancing while living in Germany and in Fort Benton when we returned to Montana. She traveled to different countries in Europe and loved every adventure. She continued to travel with Dad to visit Linda and Doug in Turkey, England, Germany, and many places state wide. In 1961, she began to have health problems that continued throughout her life. She lived in pain most of the time, but never complained. She went to doctors all over the world, but no one was able to help her. Then two months after dad passed away, she fell and broke her hip, and "Thank God" the condition that made her so miserable all these years went away and never returned. At least she lived the last two years without that pain she knew all too well. Mom was a homemaker most of her life, something she did very well. She always had a good meal on the table that everyone enjoyed. The holidays were her favorite. She loved to bake, decorate, and she always had a unique way to set the table for each occasion. The BBQs were perfect in their backyard and we all enjoyed spending that time with them. The Christmas holiday season was her favorite, and she always found a creative way to present our gifts to us, as there were many. She made sure we all had stockings full of nice gifts that were sitting at our place setting to open before our meal. This is a tradition we will continue in our families. As Karen got older and was no longer able to do the celebrations, we all missed them. They have not and will not ever be the same without her magic touch. Karen was a great mom that taught us to love and give. She was a very giving person and would help out anyone, especially her kids and grandkids. She was a hard person to get to know, but once you knew her you were her friend for life. She has friends from high school that she remained great friends all these years. Some have passed, but some are still here and they communicated with each other regularly. Mom and Dad were honored to be the godparents of John, Julie, and Candy Passuccio, whom they loved as much as their own grandchildren. Karen’sfirst priority was her family, but as we got older, she went to work as an office manager for several years, a job in which she took much pride in getting the work done right. There she met very a dear friend, Shirley (Hale) Gearhart. They have helped each other out over their 45 years of friendship. Thank you, Shirley, for being there until the end. In February of1991, Karen lost her son, Dan to Diabetes and her life was forever changed. She always said, “You shouldn't outlive your children.” She learned to survive and continue on even though it was difficult and always on her mind. Mom was very proud of her children and their families. She loved to talk about all the accomplishments the grandchildren have had. The great-grandchildren were every bit as important to her as were we all. Karen is leaving behind her daughters, Tami (Jim) Harrison of Great Falls, MT and Linda (Doug) Wright of Battle Creek, MI; grandchildren, Justin (Erin) Quirk of Great Falls, MT, Kevin Wright of Salina, Kansas, Kyle (Karen) Wright of Bossier City, Louisiana, Heidi (Reid) Edwards of Great Falls, MT, Katelynn Wright of Battle Creek Ml, and Hillary (Alex Wermling) Harrison of Great Falls, MT; and great-grandchildren, Justine Quirk of Great Falls, Keilee and Rylan Edwards of Great Falls, and Hayden and Sydney Wright of Bossier City, Louisiana. We will miss you very much, but we are also excited that you are once again pain free and in the arms of dad and Dan. The everlasting love and the lessons you have taught us will never be forgotten. We will carry on the love and stories you have shared with each of us. Thank you for being the great mom you have always been we are forever grateful to you. At her request there will be no service, only a private burial.