Bridget Angela Volden, age 103, of Helena, MT

Bridget Angela Volden, age 103, of Helena, passed away November 25, 2022.

Bridget was born April 16, 1919 in Fort Simpson, Canada to Thomas William Harris and Josette (Janvier) Harris.  She spent her early years in Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada and attended High School in Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada, and earned her GED from Normandale College several years later in Minneapolis Minnesota.

Bridget moved to Brooklyn, New York from 1946 to 1956. Then she moved to Minneapolis in 1956 where she worked as a salesclerk at Dayton’s Department Store in Minneapolis, MN for 35 years. She married the love of her life, William ‘Bill’ James Volden on April 26, 1958 in Minneapolis, MN and they enjoyed many years together before his passing on May 14, 2004.

Bridget, wrote a book “If Only the Rod had Been Round” that talked about her father, Thomas William Harris, affectionately known as ‘Flynn’ who was one of the first Indian Agents on the Makenzie River in the Northwest Territories of Canada. He always told journalists, who wanted him to write about his life, that one of his children would write his story and Bridget, never forgetting his wishes, did just that.

Bill’s nephew Gary Gilbertson introduced Bridget to Neil and Ruth Thielke who helped Bridget write her book. Mary Lou Potts hosted Ruth during the writing process and helped edit the book, Bridgets sister Nora shared family stories, and Kit Elford gave helpful advice for getting the book published.

In 2009, on her book tour in Minnesota, Bridget visited Pastor William Berg, 99 years young, who in 1968, encouraged Bridget to use the basement of the Augustana Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis to host The American Indian Bible Fellowship that she hosted for 10 years. Bill and Bridget would shop for ingredients on Friday evenings after a long week of work, to put together hotdishes on Saturdays to feed crowds of over 200 people on Sunday evenings. Musicians would bring their instruments, Native American Pastors would preach, testimonies were shared, prayers were offered, and Bridget would lead the ministry through the kitchen. Through her ministry and heart, she served her people and saw lives being touched by Jesus, and the ministry is still going in a variety of ways in downtown Minneapolis.

Bridget loved to make friends and socialize and made many special friendships through the years. She was a member of the Hannaford Street Bible Church in Helena since 2002. Most of all she loved taking care of her husband, Bill, until his passing.

Bridget had to move to Apple Rehab Cooney in 2018 and was cared for there by very great staff and often talked about how great the food was. Thank you for the Staff at Cooney Healthcare and Rehabilitation for taking such good care of Bridget.

Bridget is preceded in death by her parents, and her siblings, Nora, Rose, Wilhelmina, Mary, Rachel, Charlotte, Ned, Jack, and Bill. She is survived by numerous nieces and nephews, particularly Joyce (Machatis) Methewais, whom Bridget attended at her birth.

A Celebration of Bridget’s Life will be held in late Spring or early Summer. Memorials are suggested to the Hannaford Street Bible Church or to an organization of the donor’s choice. Please visit www.aswfuneralhome.com to offer a condolence to the family or to share a memory of Bridget.

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