Margaret A. Deering, 90

Margaret A. Deering, 90, passed away just before noon on Aug. 3, 2010. Margaret was born Dec. 18, 1919, in Waska, Mont., the fifth of six children born to Knute and Anna (Hoversland) Kolden, and was the last living sibling. She was born on The Cottonwood north of Wolf Point, and graduated from high school in Wolf Point in 1938 with her cousins, Reuben and Reinert Hoversland. Margaret heard the Gospel and decided to dedicate her life to Jesus at age 13, when two homeless preachers had meetings in their neighborhood. Her mother Anna, brother Harold, Uncle Andrew, Aunt Marie, and many of her cousins also accepted Christ in those meetings. Margaret often said that living for Christ was the most important thing in her life and remained faithful until the very end. Margaret worked for Ma Bell as a telephone operator and met her future husband, Eugene Gene Bunker, on the phone, where he proposed before he had even met her. They were married Aug. 14, 1941. Margaret and Gene moved to Great Falls, where their four children were born. She was a very talented artist who specialized in oil, acrylics and watercolor painting. Margaret could do anything she set her hand to " painting, pottery, woodcarving, basket making, stained glass, bobbin lace, spinning, rosemaling, wood turning on a lathe, storytelling, and she even did all the arc welding for a house trailer that she and Gene built. She wrote an autobiography called, The M.A.D. Story which was a very interesting read but never made the New York Times bestseller list. She was preceded in death by her husband, Gene Bunker; second husband, Fred Deering; her parents; and all of her siblings: her sister Aagot, and her brothers Harold, Leif, Einar and Leslie. Margaret is survived by her daughters, Margie and Bill Padgett of Kalispell, and Alice and Cecil Benjamin of Shelby; sons, Ben and Julie Bunker of Los Molinos, Calif., and John and Roxanne Bunker of Pocatello, Idaho; and stepchildren, Glen, Linda, Judy, Kay and Wayne; as well as numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Memorial services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 7, at Buffalo Hill Funeral Home. Graveside services will be held at 9:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 9, at Highland Cemetery in Great Falls. To send condolences to the family, please go to www.buffalohillfh.com. Buffalo Hill Funeral Home is caring for the family.