Rose Helen (Antonich) Barr

Rose Helen (Antonich) Barr of Great Falls died on August 29, 2026, at the age of 96. Mom was born in Black Eagle, Montana on March 29, 1930, to Charles and Amelia (Ljubica) Antonich, Yugoslavian immigrants.

She attended Hawthorne School, Paris Gibson Junior High and graduated from Great Falls High School in 1948. She later went to Kinman Business School in Spokane, Washington where she learned to operate a comptometer.

Mom was very involved in 4-H throughout her younger years. She was selected as a Montana state delegate to represent Montana at two national conventions, one in Washington D.C. and the other in Chicago. It was during this time she learned the importance of community service. She continued her involvement in 4-H through being a 4-H leader and also a Girl Scout Leader. Later she belonged to a Home Demonstration Club for many years.

Mom first met her lifelong partner and husband, Bill (William) Barr when she was in the 7th grade. He sat behind her in homeroom and always pulled on and put her ponytail in the ink well. They were married in November 1954 in Black Eagle. After their marriage, she moved across the river to Great Falls. They had three daughters. They were married for 68 years until Bill’s death in 2022.

They were heavily involved in building and maintaining their lifelong home. Mom was always an active participant. Her philosophy was “if you can do it yourself, you do not hire it done”. Dad said she was “his apprentice”. Mom took pride in her home and had a beautiful rose garden.

Mom was kind and caring, generous with her time, always put others ahead of herself, and was supportive of whatever her children or grandchildren did. Family was extremely important to her. She also liked people and no one was a stranger to her; in fact, she would start a conversation with anyone at any time.

Mom always made sure visitors were welcome to drop by or to visit. She made sure everyone was offered a meal or drink. Her home was a gathering spot of neighborhood children to play. She liked to host last-minute parties with their friends.

She worked at both General Mills and Monarch Lumber until the birth of her children. Mom stayed at home to raise her girls and returned to work when they were school age. She started working at Drug Fair Northwest doing inventory records using her comptometer experience. She worked her way up to office manager and retired in 1992.

Mom loved to look for treasures. You could always find her at a rummage sale, an estate sale or a thrift store. She had a good knack for finding vintage and collectable items. This led to her starting a small business selling items at an antique mall and on eBay.

She enjoyed cooking, sewing and gardening. She made the girls matching dresses for each holiday. Mom enjoyed cooking traditional dishes from her heritage, attending cooking classes, reading cookbooks and looking for new recipes to try.

In her younger years, summer weekends were spent fishing and camping. Besides yearly family vacations, Mom was fortunate enough to travel with her sisters to meet her Yugoslavian relatives. She also traveled to China, the Panama Canal, Hawaii and Canada with family and friends.

In her spare time, she helped organize high school class reunions and attended monthly class luncheons. She researched and helped compile information which was used to publish “In the Shadow of the Big Stack” --- a book about the people and their lives in the early years of Black Eagle. She belonged to a Doll and Bear Club.

Mom’s philosophy was that you had to remain active rather than be sedentary. Her attitude was “I can do it”. She never said, “I can’t do it”.

Mom is survived by her three daughters, Julie (John) Quist, Teri (Steve) Wright and Shari Barr; her three grandchildren Stephanie (David), Nathan (Vanessa), and Josh; her three great-grandchildren Isaac, Torey, and Tatum; and her nieces/nephews Paula, Butch (Ron) and Carol Ann. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her brother Scotty (Joseph) Antonich, her sisters Anne Odegard and Mary Besich, and nephew Alan.

A funeral service is scheduled for 11:00 on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at Holy Spirit Catholic Parish with a reception to follow at the Parish Hall. She will be laid to rest at the Hillcrest Lawn Memorial at a later date.