Doris Marie Quinn

It is with great sadness that the Quinn Family announces the passing of Doris Marie Quinn on Friday, May 10, 2024, at the age of 93. Doris was born in 1930 to Virgil and Marie Van Fossan in Breckenridge, Minnesota. At the edge of the Great Depression, her father found work wherever he could. Doris, along with her mother, older brother, and younger sister, moved first to Devil’s Lake, North Dakota and finally to Great Falls, Montana to be with him, taking with them whatever they could fit on the train. Doris grew into a teenager and young woman in Great Falls. She graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1948 and met her sweetheart, Daniel John Quinn, a year later. They were married in the fall of 1950 at Our Lady of Lourdes Church. When John was called up to serve in the Navy just one month after their wedding, Doris packed up and moved to San Diego to begin their married life far from home. Life as a new Navy wife was difficult, but they were young and in love, and they welcomed the first of six boys, Dan, a year later. The family moved back to Great Falls in 1952, John got on with Montana Power Company, and the Quinns began the adventure of multiple moves around the state, welcoming babies in each new location. Dave and Pat were born in Great Falls. Twins Tim and Terry arrived in Lewistown. And Matt completed the family in Missoula. As each of the boys grew up and moved away, Doris and John kept moving – back to Lewistown, Butte again, Billings and then finally back to Butte in 1987, for John’s final assignment with Montana Power. Doris could remember and recite the address of every house they ever lived in, all 16 of them. In addition to raising a pack of boys, supporting her husband’s career, keeping house, and making multiple moves, Doris worked outside the home. She worked as a rural mail carrier in Missoula for ten years, and as a secretary at St. Ann’s Parish in Butte. In 1991, Doris and John made their retirement plans, looking forward to traveling, golf, and socializing. Sadly, Doris lost her husband and best friend only three years later. Her plans changed, but she persevered. Doris became a regular volunteer at St. James Hospital in Butte for almost 30 years, stopping at age 90 only because COVID-19 shut down all volunteer activities. After serving on the Board of Trustees, she worked as a patient liaison in the surgical department, keeping track of patients in surgery and their families who were anxiously waiting. She volunteered at St. Ann’s Church, on call to assist with a funeral luncheon whenever the need arose, as well as serving on the board of the Catholic Diocese in Helena. She took up the game of golf, finding other ladies who enjoyed the game and the socialization. With six boys living all over the country (and the world), she did travel, by car or by plane, to see them all. She started exercising, first at Curves, then at Fitness Courts, where she could be found four days a week doing strength training, aerobics, line dancing, yoga and meditation. Those ladies became her social support. She loved doing her puzzles in the morning, reading the local news, and enjoying her tea and scones for breakfast. Doris was the anchor that held the family together through good times and tough. Nearly every year there was a gathering in Montana of the boys and their wives, children, and now the next generation, presided over by this tiny but indomitable woman. Whenever and wherever the family gathered, the lawn chairs came out, the party mix and gin and tonics would be shared, the stories started flowing, followed by laughter and layers upon layers of conversation – and Doris was in the center of it all, happily soaking up the love of her family while directing traffic. Her energy was boundless, her memory incredible, and her spirit unwavering. She was an inspiration to all who knew her. Doris is preceded in death by her brother, Robert, (1989), husband, John (1994), daughter-in-law, Kathy (2017), and her son, Patrick (2021). We know she is looking forward to seeing them all again and catching them up on all the news! She is survived by her sister, Shirley, 5 sons: Daniel (Linda), David (Janiel), Timothy (Ruth), Terrence (Kathy, dec’d), and Matt (Jody). She has 12 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren and was delighted to meet the newest member of the family, a great-granddaughter, in March. The Quinn family has been greatly blessed by the care and attention provided to Doris by her doctor and friend, Shawna Yates, the oncology team at St. James Hospital, the caring staff at The Springs of Butte and the Honeybee Hospice. Doris’ favorite charities were the Butte Food Bank and the St. James Hospital Foundation. The Quinn family will receive friends Thursday morning, May 16th at 10 o’clock in St. Ann Catholic Church where funeral mass will be celebrated at 11 o’clock. Doris will be laid to rest in a private ceremony at Montana State Veterans Cemetery, Fort Harrison, in Helena, with her husband, John and son, Pat.

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Doris Marie Quinn

September 29, 1930 - May 10, 2024