Miriam Weitz

Miriam Lorraine Weitz, 95, of Great Falls and formerly of Sidney, MT died Thursday, August 23, 2012 of natural causes at a local care facility.A funeral service will be held at Hillcrest Lawn Memorial Chapel on Wednesday August 29, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. A luncheon will take place at Schnider Funeral Home following the service. A private family burial of ashes will take place at Highland Cemetery following the luncheon. Schnider Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.Miriam was born May 21, 1917 in Grand Forks, ND to Maurice William Duffy and Sarah Catherine (McDonell) Duffy. She had two sisters, Catherine and Beatrice and two brothers, Bill and Neil. The family moved to Bismarck, ND when Miriam was one and lived there through the first grade. They then moved to Cooperstown, ND where her dad set up a law practice. She graduated from Cooperstown High School in 1936 where she was an outstanding student and athlete. She excelled in track and field as an award winning high jumper. She attended Valley City State Teachers College where she earned a teachers certificate. She taught one year in Griggs County, ND in a one room school house. She remembered in that first job building a fire in the wood stove and she couldn't control the heat and it got so hot that the stove pipe glowed red and the mimeograph gel melted and ran all over the cupboards. Miriam and her friend went to summer school in Missoula to get certified to teach in Montana. She already had a job offer in North Dakota and it took some intervention from her father and uncle who were both lawyers to get released from that commitment so she could accept a job in Sidney. She taught fourth grade in Sidney for three years. While attending a teacher's supper there she met a tall dashing young fellow who was also teaching there. Jim and Miriam dated for three years and married on March 8, 1942 in Billings. Jim had been drafted and they decided they wanted to be married before he left. Miriam followed her new husband around the country as he went through training before deployment overseas. As he was transferred from base to base undergoing training, she worked for Boeing, Wards and in base commissaries. When Jim went overseas, the then pregnant Miriam returned to Cooperstown and stayed with her parents until Jim came home from the war.Upon war's end in 1946 Jim, Miriam and baby Barbara returned to Sidney. In 1948 their second daughter Peggy was born. Miriam and Jim lived in Sidney until 2000 when they moved to Great Falls. Jim was an elementary principal and Miriam worked at Sidney Clothing, 1st National Bank and at an optometrist office. She also was substitute teacher, but in that era Jim's job as a school administrator precluded her from working as full time teacher in the system. Her main role was that of a supportive wife and mother to their two daughters. Miriam maintained a close relationship with her parents and siblings throughout their lives and was seen as the matriarch of the clan. Upon Jim's retirement in 1975, they became involved in golf and square dancing. They were active members of Saint Matthews Catholic Church in Sidney and Saint Luke's, now Corpus Christi when they moved to Great Falls. They were Elks and Moose club members in Sidney and Miriam was an avid bridge payer for most of her life. She played to win and even grandson Braxton came to learn that kindly Gigi was out to win at all costs regardless of her card game or board game opponent.She had especially close ties to her sister Beatrice and Jim, Miriam and Bea spent much time together on trips and at the family cabin at Swan Lake. The Swan cabin was a special place for Miriam and she was very proud of her role in securing it as a place of refuge. All of her siblings enjoyed their visits to the cabin and Miriam was so proud to be able to share this bit of heaven with them. She and Bea had inherited a small farm in North Dakota and that enabled her to make the down payment on the cabin. Miriam was stately and dignified person who always saw the good in people. She was very independent and a bit feisty. She did not back down easily and was a natural social personality. She always accepted people for who they are. She enjoyed her time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and they adored her. Jim and Miriam had nearly seventy years together. She enjoyed good health and was always positive in her demeanor. The last few years Jim and Miriam lived a happy life at Cambridge Place Retirement Community where they received great care from a kind and compassionate staff. Miriam is survived by her children, Barbara Wick and husband Ron of Spirit Lake, ID and Peg Nimmick and husband Brad of Great Falls; grandchildren Matthew (Leigh) Wick of Kennewick, WA, Gretchen Wick of Kalispell, Katie (Chad Ehrisman) Wick of Yankton SD, Abbey Wick of West Valley, UT, Jennifer Nimmick of Kalispell and Britne (Blaine) Stimac of Kalispell; great-grandchildren Grace, Josh and Nina Wick, Lark and Wynn Olson, Gavin, Jonny and Ellie Wick, Lily Trujillo, Braxton Nimmick and Parker, Boston and Silas Stimac. Miriam was preceded in death by her parents, siblings, Catherine Lewis, Beatrice Duffy, Bill Duffy and Neil Duffy and much loved husband Jim and grandson Tyson Nimmick. Losing Jim and Tyson within three and a half months of each other took an immense toll on her. The pain of these losses was evident. She held on to ease the pain to Peg and Brad of having to endure another loss. Peg assured her that we would be alright and told her mom it was OK to go as she held her tightly and she took her last breath. Miriam was an elegant lady in every sense of the word. She had style and class and portrayed the best in humanity. She will be missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing her. In lieu of flowers memorials may be sent to the Great Falls Senior Citizens Center, 1004 Central Ave, Great Falls, MT 59401, the James A. and Miriam L. Weitz Scholarship Fund c/o Thorn Barnhart, senior class advisor, Sidney Senior High School, Sidney, MT 59270 or Rivers Edge Trail, PO Box 553, Great Falls, MT 59403 in memory of Miriam and Jim Weitz and their grandson Tyson Nimmick.