Mary Ellen Gunstone, born April 29th 1943, passed away peacefully July 17th 2015, at the age of 72.
Mary Ellen was preceded in death by her parents, Wilfred and Elizabeth Gunstone; brother, Robert W. Gunstone; sister, Rose Ann Gunstone; grandparents, Frederick and Effie Gunstone; and uncle, Harry Gunstone.
Mary Ellen is survived by her sister, Betty Lou Gunstone; her brother, Charlie Frederick “Bill” Gunstone (Elma), and their son, Karl Amundson; and cousins, Deena and Ethel Gunstone, Shane Warfield and James Warfield.
She dedicated 37 years to the Buttrey’s and Van’s Thriftway bakeries where she served as a valued, and loved, employee. Mary Ellen lived in Helena throughout the entirety of her life and worked hard to better her community. She did so, mainly, through volunteering at St. John’s Lutheran Church.
Mary Ellen was also a passionate supporter of the Helena Brewer’s baseball team and was oftentimes considered as an adoptive mother to the players. She attended every game she could, taking pictures and compiling scrapbooks to give to each player at the end of the season.
A Viewing will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Thursday, July 23, 2015 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 1000 Helena Ave., with a Celebration of Her Life to follow the viewing at 11:00 a.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church. Burial will follow the service at Forestvale Cemetery. A reception will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church after the burial.
The family wishes to extend their heartfelt thanks to the staff of Aspen Gardens Assisted Living for making Mary Ellen a part of their family. They are truly a blessing from God.
Please visit below to offer a condolence to the family or to share a memory of Mary Ellen.
Service Schedule
Viewing
10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Thursday July 23, 2015
St. Johns Lutheran Church
1000 Helena Ave.
Helena, Montana 59601
Celebration of Her Life
11:00 a.m.
Thursday July 23, 2015
St. John's Lutheran Church
1000 Helena Ave.
Helena, Montana 59601
Burial
After the Funeral
Thursday July 23, 2015
Forestvale Cemetery
690 Forestvale Rd.
Helena, Montana 59602
Reception
After the Burial
Thursday July 23, 2015
St. John's Lutheran Church
1000 Helena Ave.
Helena, Montana 59601
Service Schedule
Viewing
10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Thursday July 23, 2015
St. Johns Lutheran Church
1000 Helena Ave.
Helena, Montana 59601
Celebration of Her Life
11:00 a.m.
Thursday July 23, 2015
St. John's Lutheran Church
1000 Helena Ave.
Helena, Montana 59601
Burial
After the Funeral
Thursday July 23, 2015
Forestvale Cemetery
690 Forestvale Rd.
Helena, Montana 59602
Reception
After the Burial
Thursday July 23, 2015
St. John's Lutheran Church
1000 Helena Ave.
Helena, Montana 59601
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Sharon Thrailkill says
i was saddened to learn of Mary’s passing. I enjoyed talking with Mary while working for the Helena Brewers. She was always so enthusiastic in taking pictures of the young Brewers. May prayers are with Betty and the rest of the family.
Rudy Tomich says
Giving without expecting anything in return exemplies Mary. My son threw out the first ball at one of the Brewer’s game. I had no camera. Mary had taken pictures and later gave them to my son. He was thrilled to get them. May God look over Mary.
Marlene and Dave Hughes says
Oh Mary, We so hoped you were getting better. There will never be another you at brewers games. You gave to all of us. Your sneaky pictures when I had a hot dog. Or the Times you were in charge of the little ones at the airport. I hope there is a baseball game there and that you are one of the players. Miss you my friend.
Glen Cuchine says
The world has lost a truly lovely lady….my thoughts and prayers are with Betty and the rest of Mary Ellen’s family and her many friends.
Sally Nyland says
To the Gunstone Family: I grew up in the same neighborhood and I always thought of the Gunstones as family. They were so friendly and caring. My condolences go out to the family at this time. You are in my thoughts.
Ethel Gunstone Anderson says
Bless you, Mary, and the rest of the family.
Rhonda Cline Holmes says
To the family of Mary, I’m so sorry to hear of your dear loved ones passing, she was a precious gem! She was so sweet, encouraging, and loved practical jokes! She loved taking pictures of all of us at Buttreys and keeping them in photo albums by the year! I will never forget her working so hard in the bakery and always smiling, and she was always so helpful. She is a person I will always remember.
Class of HHS '62 says
The HHS Class of ’62 want you to know how sorry we were to read about Mary….she was always a delight whenever any of us saw her around town. She beamed at the Brewers games and I know how much she loved to watch them. Every job she ever had she loved and was pleasant to everyone she helped. Sending hugs
bev westrup guerin says
i also grew up in her neighborhood. We started school together. her brother bill took us to the first day of school. I can’t remember not knowing the family. my neatest memory was at work one day and my co-worker picked up a copy of natural geographic and there was a article about her and the brewer base ball team. pretty awesome. she will be missed by all who knew her and loved her
Gabriel Furshong says
I met Mary in the summer of 2013 at Kindrick Legion Field in Helena. I had seen her at baseball games in the past and found her loyalty to the team fascinating. We started up a conversation and I soon realized that her affection for the team ran very deep. Indeed, she had missed only two games in nearly three decades. That kind of loyalty is rare in this world and it seems to have resulted in a unique connection between her and the players that resembled a family bond.
What I find especially remarkable is that most of the players she knew moved on after a summer (or less), yet Mary kept on coming, always ready to form new relationships and make players feel welcome. Her gift of a photo album to each player at the end of the season required a good deal of effort and money, but she kept up the practice for years and years despite her humble income. We rarely share hard copies of photos in this day in age and these gifts seem especially timeless and touching.
Mary was willing to share parts of her story with me during the summers of 2013 and 2014, and these conversations led to a profile that was published in Montana Magazine this spring. The process of writing the article was a joy for me because spending time with Mary was a joy. I didn’t know her very well, but today I feel exceedingly grateful for her life, for her generous spirit, and for her love of baseball.
Susan (smart) PulisI says
I was RoseAnn’s friend in High School. I loved talking to Mary Ellen at Buttery’s. Funny and down to earth. Rose and I used to ride Bill’s horses, so he could go hunting with them. I will miss Mary and much as I miss Rose. Bill: I will never forget your family. And all the horse rides I went on. I now have horses of my own. I do trail rides here in Texas. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Sue Smart