Mary R. Milburn

Mary Riebeth Milburn, 86, passed away Friday, February 10, 2017 in Great Falls of natural causes. She was born January 3, 1931 to Edwin Walter and Carolyn (Reynolds) Riebeth in Billings, Montana. Mary grew up in Billings and Hardin, graduating in 1948 from Hardin High School. She attended Montana State University majoring in architecture where she met Jack (George R.) Milburn, a fellow architecture student. Mary and Jack were married on December 28, 1949. Mary devoted her life to raising her family. She taught her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren the importance of kindness and good manners, a passion of lifelong learning, and to appreciate the wonders of the world around us. She always met challenges head on: Caring for their toddlers while Jack was in Korea, raising five children as a young ranch wife, and adapting to life together with Jack’s MS.

Mary loved music, travel, family gatherings, and her neighbors. She was active in PEO, the Presbyterian Church, the church choir and the Ruby Gulch neighborhood.

She is survived by her five children: Tim Milburn of Lewistown, MT, Mike (Carleen) Milburn of Cascade, MT, Roszelle (Leonard) Schuff of Billings, MT, Diana (Jim) Brady of Winnett, MT, and Janet (James) Dougherty of Anchorage, AK, Carla Milburn of Grass Range, MT, fifteen grandchildren, twenty-one great-grandchildren, and her friend and neighbor, Matt Rickl of Lewistown, MT.

She was preceded in death by her husband Jack in 2001, her parents and her sister Alice.

Memorial Services for Mary R. Milburn will be Wednesday, February 15^th, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. in the First Presbyterian Church with a private family inurnment in the Grass Range Cemetery. The Cloyd Funeral Home is assisting the family.

Donations in Mary Milburn’s honor may be made to the Presbyterian Church choir, the Central Montana Foundation, or the charity of your choice which may be left at the Cloyd Funeral Home. Condolences for the family may be posted online at www.cloydfuneralhome.com