Helen Louise Palagi

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Helen Louise Palagi’s deepest desire was fulfilled on July 17, 2023, when she met her Savior face to face. From the moment she came to know Jesus decades ago, she loved Him with all of her heart and lived her life in service to Him. Those who know and love Helen, know that three things were important to her: faith, family, and friends. Whether working in her home or at the Christian bookstore, she lovingly welcomed countless people, impacting lives by listening to them, talking to them about Jesus, providing Bibles, and praying for them.

A lifelong resident of Great Falls, Helen graduated from Great Falls High in 1947, married Leonard Palagi in 1948, and raised seven children. Many still share memories of her working at Eddie’s Bakery, Little’s Lanes, and over 30 years at Rainbow Christian Supply. At the time of her passing, Helen’s family also included twenty grandchildren and twenty-two great-grandchildren.

An artist at heart, Helen found beauty wherever she looked. She loved to paint, and her family’s homes are graced with some of her work. Helen also enjoyed decorating, arranging, and rearranging her home. Helen was known to host hundreds of visitors in her home each year, and every time she opened her home it was an event. Her children and grandchildren remember Helen making every meal and tea party she hosted “special,” as she taught them hospitality, etiquette, and social grace. She loved setting a table with the beautiful dishes she’d collected, and her home was always a warm and welcoming way to share Jesus with those she knew and loved. Helen also appreciated the beauty of Montana, and she loved to go for drives just to see the countryside. Helen’s love for traveling regularly took her on trips across the country to see family and friends, but she also traveled to other countries, including Canada, Mexico, England, Scotland, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Israel, Jordan, and Egypt. Her favorite destination was the Holy Land, which she was able to visit several times.

Helen is preceded in death by her husband (Leonard Palagi), her son (Marc Palagi), three grandchildren (Joshua Berek, Matthew Palagi, and Laura Smith), and one great-grandson (Cassius Logan). She is survived by six children (Shelley Smith, Sharry Palagi, Lorrin (Liz) Palagi, Lance Palagi, Michael (Cindy) Palagi, and Renee (Kevin) Sullivan), seventeen grandchildren (Heidi, Heather, Hilary, Jason, Jesse, Meagan, Anthony, Ashley, Chase, Chris, Sara, Aimee, Karlee, Jackson, Nicholas, Levi, and Nichelle), and twenty-one great-grandchildren (Luc, Sophie, Seeley, Grayson, Kira, Lillian, Jaycee, Bella, Reece, Benjamin, George, James, Jacob, Bailey, Sawyer, Olivia, Samuel, Kaylei, Auria, Shannan, and another one on the way). She is also survived by her sister, Doris McPeek, her brother, Frank Duke, as well as numerous cousins.

Memorial services for Helen will be hosted by Croxford and Sons Funeral Home at 10:00 AM on August 26, 2023. Helen’s final earthly resting place will be in the Sand Coulee cemetery.

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