Mary Helen Halaas

Mary Helen Halaas, 97, Cheney, Washington, formerly of Kalispell, Montana and Moorhead, Minnesota, died Tuesday, April 22, 2025, following an active life touching many lives.

Mary Helen was born July 28, 1927, in Scobey, Montana, the daughter of Casper and Mildred (Peterson) Brenden. She has fond memories of living above her grandparents’ downtown dry goods store and spending much time with her grandparents and her great aunts and uncles.Scobey Lutheran Church was home; she often provided music for worship services and many community and school events.

After graduating from Scobey High School in 1945, Mary Helen enrolled at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota, graduating in 1949. At Concordia she majored in English and sang in the Concordia Choir.

On June 26, 1949, at Scobey Lutheran Church, Mary Helen married Russell Halaas of Carrington, North Dakota. This love story began on the campus of Concordia College and continued on the campus of Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Following Rusty’s ordination as a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (later The American Lutheran Church, and now the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), their ministry together began. Mary Helen was a loving, faithful, and energetic wife and mother as the family moved from Minnesota to Montana to California to Minnesota to Pennsylvania to Montana and then back to Concordia College. Mary Helen and Rusty especially enjoyed many years of active retirement life in Kalispell, Montana, and at their Ashley Lake cabin; and thirty-three years with the winter community at Casa de Paz in Mesa, Arizona. Prior to Rusty’s death in 2018, Cheney, Washington became their home, with daughter Beth and her husband Rob.

Always the gracious hostess, Mary Helen, with Rusty, welcomed so many into their home, with delightful entertaining, food, baking, famous donuts, flowers, and elegant dining room table dinners. Also: picnics and pie parties at Ashley Lake and Mesa, and at Glacier National Park. They shared in memorable travel adventures toCanada, Scandinavia, Australia, and China.

Her many vocations included: public school teacher, piano teacher, organist, and vocalist. Mary Helen was a leader and was sometimes denied opportunities due to the culture and traditions of the day. She was a life-long advocate for women and girls and was passionate about justice, equality, and fairness. She provided leadership for Montana Girls State, Church Women United in Minnesota, Concordia College Alumni Board, Concordia’s C-400 and served for a brief time as Chaplain at Immanuel Home in Kalispell.

She was loved and is survived by children Rev. Mark (and Dr. Gwen) Halaas of Moorhead, Minnesota; Rev. David (and Bishop Lorna) Halaas of Sioux City, Iowa; Rev. John (and Rebecca) Hulden of Taylors Falls, Minnesota; Dr. Beth (and Rob Driscoll) Halaas of Cheney, Washington; grandchildren Katie, Rev. Per (Emily), Joseph (Andrew), Dr. Liv (Dr. Andrew), Erik (Mallory), Maren (John), Brian, Carl (Vincent), Britta (Michael), Jens, Audrey, and Robert; great-grandchildren Bror and Loanna; Anelise and Adrian; Casper and Wallace; Isaac and Elliot; August, Julian, and Greta; sister Gayle Bummer of Billings, Montana and brother John (and Carol) Brenden of Scobey, Montana; beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, step-grandchildren; and many relatives and friends.

Mary Helen was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; her in-laws Ralph and Minnie Halaas; and her brother-in-law Curtis Bummer.

Mary Helen loved God, God’s creation, and all of God’s people. She shared Concordia College’s motto: “Soli Deo Gloria”.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be shared with the Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota,Class of 1949 Scholarship Fund.

The funeral service for Mary Helen Halaas will be at 4:00pm on Sunday, May 11th, 2025, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Moorhead, Minnesota, with visitation one hour prior to worship at the church. Burial at Prairie Home Cemetery, Moorhead, Minnesota. Arrangements by Wright Funeral Home. Greetings to the family may be sent to Beth Halaas, 12920 S. Andrus Rd., Cheney, Washington 99004.