Rosemary Thurston

Rosemary Ellen Meagher Thurston, 81, of Missoula, passed away peacefully on May 24, 2026, at her home in Missoula, Montana.

She was born January 26, 1945, in Butte Montana to John and Grace Meagher. She went to Immaculate Conception and continued to high school at Girls Central. She then attended St Patrick’s School of Nursing in Missoula, MT and was working towards her BSN at the University of Washington.

During her time at St Pats she was set up on a blind date With Douglas whom she eventually spent 56 beautiful years in marriage. They moved to Seattle where she worked as a nurse in the emergency room at Virginia Mason Medical Center. She also managed a clinic for Virginia Mason and did patient education there. In 1989, she started teaching Surgical Technology at Renton Technical College, where she retired in 2013.

Gardening, sewing, reading and camping were some of the things Rosemary enjoyed. She loved to spend time with family. There were trips to Montana every year for time enjoyed with family and friends in Butte, Cardwell, Missoula and at Flathead Lake. Rosemary made several trips abroad with Doug to England and Italy. They visited her Sister and brother in law in Germany. There were also two trips to Nova Scotia to visit family she hadn’t seen since she was a child.

In 2017, Rosemary and Doug moved back to Missoula. She remained active with St Francis Xavier Church, attended MCT theater and the Missoula Symphony, and was on her homeowners board. She loved dogs and had many throughout her life and always knew all the dogs in the neighborhood. Rosemary loved spending time with the family and friends at Flathead Lake.

Rosemary was a wife, mother, and grandmother who received and gave love and joy to her family, and friends. Everyone thought she was wonderful and she truly was.

Rosemary is preceded in death by her Husband, Douglas, parents, John and Grace, sister, Margaret.

Survivors include her son David, daughter Christine, grandsons Gavin, Garrison, and Hunter, granddaughter Sydney.

Rosemary Thurston, 81, of Missoula passed away Monday, May 24, 2026 at her home. A visitation will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Monday, June 1, 2026 at Garden City Funeral Home. The Rosary and Vigil service will begin at 7:00 p.m. that evening. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church with burial to follow in the St. Mary's Cemetery. A reception will follow the graveside at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Reidy Hall.

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