Mary Kay Westphal

Mary Kay (Mellen) Westphal, 87, of Great Falls, passed away peacefully at Peace Hospice from complications of cancer on September 29, 2015.A vigil service will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, October 9, 2015 at St. Anns Cathedral. A funeral liturgy will be held at noon on Saturday, October 10, 2015 at St. Anns Cathedral. Cremation has taken place under the direction of Schnider Funeral Home. A private inurnment will be held at a later date.Mary Kay Westphals love of all things Irish and Catholic began when she was born to Russell and Kitty Mellen in Butte, Montana on September 19, 1928. After spending a very happy early childhood embraced by a close knit group of relatives in the Philipsburg area, the Mellen family moved to Butte where Mary Kay attended school, eventually graduating from Butte Central Girls Catholic High School. She then moved to Great Falls to attend the Columbus School of Nursing from which she graduated with her Registered Nursing Degree in 1949. Later that same year, she married Eugene Westphal in Butte. She spent a few years living the life of a wife of an Air Force officer, nurse and mother before returning with her husband to live in Great Falls where she continued her career as a nurse. She worked many years at Columbus Hospital where she became an instructor at the Columbus School of Nursing. She eventually went to work for Dr. Tom Walker until he retired, but continued her allegiance with the Walker family as she was employed many more years as an office nurse by Dr. Dan Walker.Once she retired from the workforce, Mary Kay had no problem filling her days. She could easily spend every waking hour laughing and spending time with her family and many friends, but also managed to serve her community as a volunteer at various facilities. These included the Charles M. Russell Museum and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, but most importantly the St. Anns Cathedral Soup Kitchen, and the St. Anns Cathedral rectory, a church which served as the anchor of her spiritual life. But Mary Kays most important role, from which she never retired, was vigilantly worrying about and intensely loving her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, as well as her beloved Bichon, Nellie.Mary Kay was preceded in death by her husband, Eugene and parents Russell and Kitty.She is survived by her daughter, Kathe of Great Falls; son and daughter-in-law Vic and Shari of Grass Range and son Scott of Great Falls; her brother, Pat (Kathy) Mellen of Missoula; grandson Trevor (Tom) of Helena; granddaughter Jenni (Brett) of Grass Range; great-grandchildren Leah and A.J. of Grass Range; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.