Ruth Theresa Brown

Ruth Theresa (Simacek) Brown passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 27, 2017. Ruth was born June 4, 1928, in Lewistown, MT to Emily and Thomas Simacek.Ruth had two brothers, Tom and Paul and one sister, Mary. Ruth attended school in Indian Creek until third grade and the Moccasin School through tenth grade. She then attended Fergus County High School in Lewistown and graduated in 1946. Ruth attended the Great Falls Academy of Beauty and first worked as a hair dresser in Helena, MT. On a visit to Great Falls in the spring of 1949, Ruth was introduced to Dave Brown. They started dating right away and were married in the fall of that year. Ruth was a beautician and worked for many years at the Westside Beauty Salon. Ruth and Dave had four children, Judy, Kathy, Laurie and Dave. They celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in Mazatlan, Mexico and Ruth said that was her favorite vacation. Ruth and Dave were married for 35 years until Dave passed away in 1984, with Ruth by his side, as always. In 1991, Ruth went on a tour to the dinosaur digs near Choteau. It was on this trip that Ruth met Jerry Olszewski, also from Great Falls. After that trip, Ruth called and asked if he was going on the next one and he was. They ate their lunch together that day and were companions until Jerry passed away in 2012. They traveled extensively around Montana and Canada. They walked every morning for many years on the River’s Edge Trail in Great Falls. Ruth was an active member of the West Side Methodist Church and was a longtime volunteer at Benefis Hospital (knitted hundreds of baby caps) and the YWCA Thrift Store. Ruth’s favorite time was spent with family. This included many trips to visit the kids and grandkids in Colorado and Alaska. She truly enjoyed the family get-togethers for her birthdays in Jackson Hole, Big Sky, Seeley Lake, and Whitefish. Ruth enjoyed running and walking in numerous races over the years and won many age-group medals. “Ruthie” was a devoted mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She is survived by her four children: Judy Lippel of Great Falls, Kathy Bentz of Evans, Co, Laurie (Gerard) Boland of Helena, and Dave (Sue) Brown of Wrangell, Alaska. Ruth was so proud of her nine grandchildren: Dustin (Stephanie) Bentz, Jamie (Jed) Clark, Amber Lippel, Brad (Kaity) Lippel, Ashley Flynn, Katie Boland, Kristy (Joe) Stack, Laurie Brown, and Dave Brown. Ruth was blessed with nine great grandchildren: Oscar Clark, Porter Clark, Brinley Bentz, Brenna Bentz, Madilyn Stack, Grace Stack, Anna Stack, Benjamin Flynn, and Landon Flynn. Ruth is also survived by her brother Paul (Joanne) Simacek. Ruth was preceded in death by her parents; brother Tom Simacek; sister Mary Smith; husband Dave; and companion, Jerry. The family will be celebrating Ruth’s life at a memorial on the River’s Edge Trail in mid-July followed by a family gathering in Big Sky. Ruthie would have loved it! Memorials may be sent to The River’s Edge Trail (thetrail.org) in Great Falls or the West Side Methodist Church in Great Falls.