Mary Jane Kurth, 84

On Friday March 8, 2019, Mary Jane Kurth, loving and devoted mother of five children and nine grandchildren, passed away peacefully in her home overlooking the Bigfork Bay and Swan Mountain Range.

Mary Jane was born Nov. 21, 1934, in Helena to Lloyd and Gaynelle Kurth.

She was raised in Geraldine and Fort Benton, Montana, until 1947 when her parents purchased a cherry orchard on the east shore of Flathead Lake and they relocated to Bigfork.

Mary Jane attended Bigfork schools and was crowned the first cherry blossom queen in 1953. She graduated from Bigfork High School that same year, then left for Northern Montana College in the fall to attend nursing school. She completed her RNBSN degree at Deaconess Hospital in Great Falls and began her career there after graduation.

Mary Jane met and married Jon Jensen in Great Falls and together they raised five children; Brent, Therese, Lori, Beth and Mary.

The family relocated to Whitefish for three years and finally settled in Missoula, where Mary Jane worked as an RN at Missoula Community Hospital and the Missoula County Health Department.

In 1989 Mary Jane relocated to Denton, Texas, where she was heavily involved in the Texas Federation Women’s Club. She was president from 2000-2002 and made several great friends. She loved golfing and swimming with her many friends at the Robson Ranch Retirement community, however, she always considered Montana her home and returned to Bigfork in 2017.

Mary Jane loved her Friday lunches and gambling at the VFW with her high school friends.

She is survived by her five children and nine grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her brother Lloyd Samuel Kurth and her brother George Casey Olinger.

She was a patient, devoted and loving mother. She will forever be missed and loved by those who knew her.

A celebration of Mary Jane’s life will be held over the 4th of July weekend in Fort Benton.