Mary Elaine Simonson

Mary Elaine (Harris) Simonson, 91, of Choteau, passed away on August 16, 2026. She spent her final day surrounded by her children and their spouses.

A memorial service will be held at Pondera Valley Lutheran Church on August 29, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. Cookies and coffee will be served immediately following the service. Family members and friends who wish to join are welcome to attend a burial following the reception at Hillside Cemetery.

Mary was born on May 28, 1935, to Clinton B. and Barbara (Mortiz) Harris. She attended Conrad schools and graduated from Conrad High School in 1954. She worked for a year as a telephone operator to save money for college. While in college, she met the love of her life, Clifford, through friends in Conrad. Cliff and Mary were married on March 17, 1957. She graduated from Montana State University School of Nursing in 1958 as a registered nurse. Mary worked in Conrad as Dr. Hamilton’s nurse and later at Conrad Nursing Home for many years. She then went to work for Pondera County Home Health and served as a Hospice nurse. They moved to Lincoln where she continued to work as a home health nurse until she officially retired in 1997. She was a skilled nurse and cared for many people throughout her career who remember her kindness and compassion.

Mary and Cliff primarily made their home in Conrad where they raised their family of five children. They raised a huge garden full of flowers and produce. Mary worked each year to can and freeze their harvests, in addition to canning fruit they purchased. Their pantry was always full of this bounty to feed the family.

They built their first home together in 1972. This started a trend where they built a new home or remodeled an existing home every 10 years or so. Mary worked right alongside Cliff on many building projects and even learned to do the electrical wiring. Mary also spent time baking, sewing, and knitting and she loved to read. When she was engrossed in a book, it was hard to regain her attention. While they lived in Conrad, Mary was a member of Pondera Valley Lutheran Church, and she was active in many church activities including Circle.

Mary loved her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren with gusto. She believed her family came first in all situations. She was always available to her many nieces and nephews for anything they needed and her children’s many friends were treated as family too. She loved a family reunion and helped to plan and organize many family gatherings.

Mary was preceded in death by her son, Dave Simonson in 2018 and her loving husband Clifford LeRoy Simonson in 2020. She is survived by her sisters, Margaret “Peg” Eschenbacher (Red) of Hamilton and Barbara Perry (Don) of Conrad. She is also survived by her children, Sheila Yuhas of Great Falls, Charlotte Tacke (Loren) of Fairfield, Jennifer Birnel (Mike) of Choteau, and Scott Simonson (Angela) of Missoula. She was the proud grandmother of 11 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and beloved Aunt Mary to numerous nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorials be made to Peace Hospice in Conrad at 300 N. Virginia Street, Conrad, Montana 59425 or to the Central Montana Nurses Honor Guard at 3305 Kingwood Drive, Great Falls, Montana 59404.