Margery Ruth Brim Wilmer, also known to her friends as Margie or Marge, passed away peacefully from natural causes on April 29, 2025, at the age of 91, having spent her last days surrounded by her loving family.
Margery was born on February 18, 1934, in Sheridan Montana to Frederick Alexander Brim (a placer miner, school teacher, and principal) and Dora Marie Fenton Brim (a school teacher and Methodist minister). Margery was the baby, the 4th child, with two older sisters and one older brother. She used to give her older siblings grief for always telling stories that ended with “That was before we had you, Margery”, and liked to remind them that she was the “spry” one as they aged!
She was both proud of, and saddened by, the fact she was the last living relative from her generation, on both her mom’s and dad’s sides of the family. Documenting her rich knowledge of her families’ genealogy was one of her favorite pastimes; she kept meticulous records and regaled her daughters and granddaughters with scores of stories to help keep those memories alive for generations to come.
Margery grew up in Sheridan Montana, attending kindergarten (where she met her lifelong best friends Pee Wee Bieler and Dori Shaffer) through graduation from Sheridan High School in 1952. She was Class Secretary her senior year; all four years she was active in Pep Club, Girls Chorus, and Band (she was quite the trombone player!); and the first three years she was in the Future Homemakers of America. She was also active in Rainbow Girls and the Methodist Youth Group. After high school, Margery studied accounting at Western Montana College in Dillon Montana for a semester, then moved back to Sheridan to help her parents out when her dad fell ill. She was assistant cashier at the Bank of Sheridan for 3 ½ years before moving back to Dillon, where she attended college for another semester, then spent three summers working in the audit office of the Yellowstone Park Company. During the fall, winter, and spring she worked as bookkeeper at the Vigilante Electric Co-Op for a couple of years. Then beginning in October of ’59 she lived with Pee Wee and her husband, Ben, in Springfield Massachusetts for a short time, before moving back to Montana to work one last stint at the Yellowstone Park Company from April 1960 to October 1961.
She then moved to Helena and began working at Anderson Motors, a Chevrolet auto dealership where she was the office manager. It was here she worked with, and fell in love with, Robert David Wilmer, an Anderson Motors mechanic. They got married on November 10, 1965, and together they raised their two daughters, Darla and Debra. Bob was the general contractor for the construction of their house on the west side of Helena, where he purchased land on all sides of their property to ensure plenty of elbow room. They moved into their new home in November 1966, and it’s here that Margery lived up until her passing. After Anderson Motors closed, she worked as bookkeeper for Prudential Realty for just over 9 years (this is where she met her very treasured friend, Floy Peterson). When Prudential Realty closed, she went to work as an accountant at the Montana State Dept of Revenue for 4 years, then at the Montana Supreme Court for 10 years, retiring in December 1999 to spend all her free time with her granddaughter (soon to become granddaughters).
Margery was a 71-year member of the Order of the Eastern Star, having joined her mom’s chapter in Sheridan (Arcelia Chapter #34) on March 13, 1954. She then joined Josephine Hepner Chapter (JHC) #89 in Helena on May 18, 1982 (where she held multiple offices, including Worthy Matron, and was “Secretary of the Decade”). It’s here she met another very cherished friend, LaVerne Yuhas, and made so many other special friendships. When JHC #89 shuttered, she then became a member of Martha Chapter #11 in White Sulphur Springs. She also held offices in Sapphira Temple #79 Daughters of the Nile in Helena (she loved wearing her Princess crown), and was a Girl Scout leader when her daughters were young.
Margery enjoyed reading, especially on her Kindle (her favorites were murder mysteries, and her favorite authors were Josephine Tey and Agatha Christie); making beautiful creations with ceramics and plastic canvas that she would share with loved ones; and watching “Murder She Wrote”. She really liked lighthouses as well; not only collecting various memorabilia, but visiting them if possible (she was extremely proud of having traversed all 178 steps to the top of the Tybee Island Lighthouse in Georgia when she was 66 years old!). She also enjoyed hearing about the great work her daughter, Debra, was doing with immigrants (asking often for updates), and how her daughter, Darla, followed in her bookkeeping/accounting steps.
She loved all things blue (her favorite color); lilacs (her favorite flower); dogs (her childhood pet, Bluey, up through her last buddy, Hans); and traveling. In her early 20’s, she and one or more of her dear friends (Ginny Funk, Doris Jackson, Betty Vail) traveled by car cross-country to Texas (singing “Mr. Sandman” the entire way down!), Missouri, Illinois, Massachusetts, NYC, Washington DC, and many other places. Margery, Bob, and their girls went on road trips to various destinations as well, including Disneyland twice, Alberta Canada, Tijuana Mexico, and a slew of western states to visit relatives over the years. After Bob passed away, Margery made numerous solo trips to continue visiting family. She got to see the Grand Canyon, attend a Boston Red Sox game, enjoy Stone Mountain in Georgia, visit multiple other amazing places, and spend time with loved ones near and far. She also delighted in going to Sun Lakes Washington each summer, for the Brim family reunion, keeping her genealogy passion fresh.
Margery was so very friendly and kind, with a smile for everyone. There wasn’t anyone she didn’t get along with; she would strike up conversations with strangers wherever she went, and people would always comment on how engaging and sweet she was after just meeting her. Once you struck up a friendship with her, she was your true friend from then on. She also had a very generous heart. She donated to a multitude of charities over the years and felt that places that did good work deserved as much help as possible. Margery was also very independent and feisty; she walked on her treadmill until she was 88 years old, and drove up until she was 89 ½!
She loved her family more than can be described, and nothing made her happier than her two granddaughters, the absolute lights of her life. The name “Gramma” was something she held dear to her heart, and she was so deeply proud of them. Marissa was her Seamstress Extraordinaire (sewing, mending, altering; anything Gramma needed!) and Elaina was her Technological Wizard (iPhone, laptop, iPad; anything Gramma couldn’t quite figure out!). She had the most amazing bonds with her Naina and her Missa, which will last forever and always.
Margery was preceded in death by her husband of 44 years, Bob Wilmer; her parents, Alexander and Dora Brim; her sisters, Dorothy McCrea and Alene Gairrett; her brother, Fred Brim; her niece, Susan Chaubal; her nephew, Galen McCrea; her nephew, Wayne Gairrett; and her wonderful dogs over the years: her Cocker Spaniel, Bluey; her Norwegian Elkhounds, Sam, Kai, Bo, and Taffie; and her Schnauzer, Hans.
She is survived by her daughters, Darla (Darrel) Tenter of Helena Montana and Debra Wilmer of Somerset Massachusetts; her granddaughters, Elaina Tenter and Marissa Tenter of Helena Montana; her nephews whom she remained so very close to; and numerous cousins once-, twice-, three-, and four-times removed.
Margery will be missed beyond words by her family, her friends, and all those whose lives she touched.
TTFLT, Gramma, we love you with all our hearts.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to any of Margery’s favorites: God’s Love (a homeless shelter in Helena), PBS of Montana, Girl Scouts of America, Shriner’s Hospital for Children, and/or all the Veterans Service Organizations.
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Service Schedule
Services are pending at this time or no services will be held. If available, please see obituary for more information.
Service Schedule
Services are pending at this time or no services will be held. If available, please see obituary for more information.
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Darby Larson says
I’m so sorry for your loss. Margie was such a nice lady. I remember how nice she was to us kids when we went into Prudential Realty to visit Grandpa Doug Peterson.
Thinking of you with lots of love.
Darby
Jodel Fohn says
Deborah, Darla, Darrell and the girls, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. My deepest sympathies.
Irene Glass. says
When Aunt Margery visited Milind and I in Texas years ago she turned me on to Miranda Esmond White’s exercises. She was very religious about keeping up with her routine of “aging backwards ” and when she returned to Montana she bestowed her exercise CD to me to keep healthy and remember her by….and now I am reminded of her every day as I’ve resumed these exercises. Aunt Margery was a dear sweet gently lady and I am privileged to have known her and I’ll keep her in my heart always.