Marion E. Fairbanks, 83

Marion E. Fairbanks, 83, passed away Sept. 8, 2016, of natural causes at Brendan House in Kalispell.

She was born Aug. 23, 1933, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, to Harold and Isabelle Stanton. When she was 10 years old her family moved to Helena and then to the Swan Lake area, finally making the Flathead Valley their home.

In 1950, she started her family, and had four children: Delilah, Kim, Harold and Deana. She married Melvin Fairbanks in 1964 and added two more children to the family, Elaine and Janette. Melvin and Marion resided in Columbia Falls, and they liked to travel and visit family and friends.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Harold and Isabelle Stanton; her husband, Melvin Fairbanks; and daughters, Delilah Salminen and Elaine Fairbanks Miller.

As well as being a homemaker, Marion worked at the Montana State Veteran’s Home, and she loved her job pouring ceramics at Mary’s Ceramic Shop in Evergreen. She was an artist who was very talented in her sewing, painting, embroidering, painting ceramics, crocheting and knitting, and in her later years she started quilting.

Marion was a snowbird for many years, splitting her time between Apache Junction, Arizona, and Montana.

She had many friends and made many more wherever she resided, from her Bible study ladies to the red hat ladies of Columbia falls.

Marion is survived by her children, Kim and Becky Mower, Harold and Yelena Mower, Deana and Carroll Jones, and Janette Fairbanks Hill and Paul Salminen; grandchildren, Anthony, Christopher and Jenni Salminen, Sonja and Mike Stanage, Brooke, Coder, Chris and Ashley Humbird, Katie Mower, Cameron Jones, Stacia and James Comstock, and Brenda, Justin and Zachary York; and great-grandchildren, McKenna, Garhet, Zachary, Rebecca, Mikeal, Austin, Brandon, Bridgett, Scott, Clayton and Tristan.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Sept. 16 at Columbia Mortuary in Columbia Falls.