Anita Irene Baker McMahon

Anita Irene Baker McMahon passed away with her loving husband and daughters by her side on June 5, 2026, at the age of 77. She was the first born of three daughters to Vincent ("Bud") and Mary Ann Baker. Her great-grandfather, Thomas Thexton, settled in Virginia City during the mining boom, and she is a third generation Montana begat from that lineage. Her mother's family names - Thexton and Neville - are still prominent in Ennis.

Anita and her family lived in two cabins at the Ennis Riverside Motel from the time her parents purchased the property when she was young to her graduation from high school. The motel is situated near the Madison River, and summers were spent serving hotel guests while winters were spent ice skating on the public pond at the neighboring park. The motel still operates today, serving seasonal visitors drawn by the fame and mystique of the Madison River's blue-ribbon trout fishery and the Yellowstone region.

Anita bore witness to the 1959 earthquake near Hebgen Dam when she was 11 years old. 28 people died during that night of terror, and she was amongst the Ennis towns people who evacuated over the hill into Virginia City for fear that Hebgen Dam had breached (it did not!).

Many friends knew her as Irene in her childhood years. She participated in music during her high school years, playing the flute and piccolo and singing in the choir. Irene went on to attend the School of Radiologic Technology at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, graduating in 1969. During her radiology schooling, friends set her up on a blind date where she met the man that would hold her heart and hand for 56 years, until her passing. Anita and Jim married on August 2, 1969, in Ennis, MT.

Their lives as parents began in 1971 with the birth of their son, Christopher. Two years later came Kimberly, and another 19 months later came their third and final treasure, Kara. The family moved to Libby, MT, for Jim's work promotion in 1976 and stayed 9 years before returning to Missoula in 1985.

Anita worked as a radiology tech at St. Pat's in Missoula following her certification, then in Libby during their time there, and back at St. Pat's upon returning to Missoula. She climbed the ranks in the radiology department serving in roles such as instructor of the radiologic technology school, lead technician, and eventually department supervisor. In time, she was ready for a change and transferred to the Information Technology department at St. Pat's in the late 1990s. She met many people, a number of which became friends, during her time at St. Pat's. She was a lead contributor on the Providence IT team to bring St. Pats and other rural hospitals under their purview over to EPIC, a new charting system. This technology required extensive programs and interface platforms, as well as a lot of troubleshooting! She retired from St. Pat's in 2011 after more than 30 years of service.

Anita enjoyed a wide variety of activities over her lifetime, be it fishing Montana's lakes and rivers, camping, hiking, horse riding, snowmobiling, or ice skating, or feeding her passion for music, birds, or geology, or donning her master seamstress skills. She also loved having vegetable and flowers gardens; stargazer lilies were one of her favorites.

Above all else, Anita cherished her family. Not only her children and husband, but her extended family of whom there were quite a number in the Ennis area. She was proud of her family history in the Madison Valley and made frequent visits to Ennis to catch-up with grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. A particular highlight was a five-generation horse drawn wagon ride where her grandson tendered the reins to carry her grandmother down the 4th of July parade route.

Anita instilled in her children a conviction that family is everything and she led by example in that regard. She and Jim rarely missed their children's school and extra-curricular functions, juggling work schedules to accommodate. They did the same for their grandchildren, traveling more than an hour to Plains or other areas to watch them play, sing, or perform in any other way. Her dedication was never questioned, and it was an extremely rare occasion that she missed an event.

For 45 years, Anita and her family spent long summer weekends at Bull Lake. She traveled to Hawaii, Alaska, and other areas of the US and tropics, and in 2023 to Ireland with her two daughters and two granddaughters. What a wonderful trip that was exploring the countryside of her family lineage!

Anita touched many lives and was blessed to have friendships that lasted nearly a lifetime. Her bestie of 60 years, Shelda, harbors funny little secrets that only best friends know. Distance didn't come between she and Cheryl after they graduated radiology school together. Mary and Marie knew her in her childhood and made a point of visiting in Anita's final days. Many other long-time friends - Cathy, Jackie, Pam, and Kathy to name a few - were a constant presence in her life, and her social groups - the Coffee Clatch, the Lunch Ladies, and the Friday Night Drinks crowd - kept her dance card full. There are far more friends than can be mentioned here that saw her through life's good times as well as the final battle, and she cherished all those loving connections.

Anita is survived by her husband, Jim, children Chris (Jamie Damrill) of Newport, OR, Kim (Bill Thomas) of Plains, MT, and Kara (Chad Harder) of Anchorage, AK; her grandchildren Tanner (Selah) Ostrom, Skylar (Daeger Christensen) Bergstrom, and Piper (Mason Elliott) Bergstrom; great-grandchildren Owen and Hattie Ostrom; her sisty littlers Ellen (Scott) Kreitzer and Patricia (Bob) Johnston; bonus siblings John (Pam) McMahon and Joan (Hank Ryan) McMahon; niece April (Giovanni Gentile) Johnston and nephews Aaron and Jake (Emily) Kreitzer and Ryan (Kate) McMahon. Anita wasn't ready for this life to be over and fought hard to have more time to share with her loved ones, but she is now at peace in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jim, Kim, and Kara extend their deepest gratitude for all the love, laughter, hand-holding, and tears shared by friends and family during Anita's final season.

A funeral mass will be held at St. Francis Xavier Church at 12:00 noon on June 17, 2026, with a reception to follow at the parish. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Partners in Home Care to support their wonderful hospice program, or a youth music program of one's choosing.