Catherine M Henning

Catherine Mary (Sauber) Henning, 99, of Fairfield passed away on Tuesday, January 20, 2015 in Choteau. A vigil service will be held Sunday, January 25, 2015 at 7 pm at St John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Fairfield. Funeral liturgy will be held on Monday, January 26, 2015 at 10 am at St John the Evangelist Catholic Church. Rite of committal will take place after the service at 2 pm at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Great Falls. O’Connor Funeral Home is handling arrangements. Catherine Mary (Sauber) Henning was born on her family homestead, 11 miles south of Palermo, ND, on February 28, 1915. As a young girl, she walked or rode horse back to her one-room schoolhouse on the prairies of North Dakota. She graduated elementary school in 1929 and attended high school in Stanley, ND, graduating in 1932. While in high school, she worked for the Farm Security Office and ASC Office, which provided her family with the money needed to see them through the Great Depression. During the 1940s and WWII, Catherine moved out to Los Angeles, CA to work for North American Aviation Company as a “Rosie the Riveter” on the last of the B-29 bombers. After working for North American Aviation, she stayed in Los Angeles, working her way up to Office Manager in Los Angeles’ Industrial Section. On August 9, 1946, Catherine married her childhood sweetheart, Lawrence Henning, at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Great Falls. Together they purchased 160 acres of farmland on the Greenfield Bench and moved there permanently in 1949. Catherine and Lawrence spent the next 26 years farming in addition to Lawrence’s continued work at the Anaconda Smelter Company until his premature death on December 21, 1971. Catherine later went to work in Fairfield for Keipers Thriftway, a local grocery store, and the store’s subsequent owners for several years. She moved off the farm in 1988 and relocated to Fairfield. She was known in the community for her prize-winning lemon meringue pie as well as her cabbage rolls recipe that St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, her parish for over 65 years, still uses to this day. Her hobbies included gardening, cooking, and cheering on the Fairfield Eagles. In September 2005, she moved to the Teton County Nursing Home in Choteau, where she remained until her death. Catherine is survived by her three sons, Lawrence (Kathy), William (Carol) and Michael (Janet); grandchildren Shawn Henning, Stacy (Jennifer) Henning, Larry Henning, Ryan (Emily) Henning, Lindsay (Tucker) Johnson, Amber Henning, and Amanda Henning; great-grandchildren include Zach Henning, Gregory Henning, Riley Henning, Bonnie Johnson, Harvey Johnson, and Sunny Johnson. Catherine is also survived by her long-time friend, Sandy Johnson; and great-niece Susan Bushell. She was preceded in death by her parents, William John Sauber and Sarah McLaughlin Sauber; brothers George Sauber, Lawrence Sauber, and Tom Sauber; sister Sarah (Sauber) Hemmey; and granddaughter Ashley Henning. “May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.” – An Irish Blessing In lieu of flowers please send donations to the Teton County Nursing Home, 24 Main Ave. N, Choteau, MT 59422.