It is with profound sorrow we announce that Nancy Elizabeth MacDonald of Helena passed away on the evening of March 29, 2014, while surrounded by her family. Nancy was born March 3, 1930, in Williston, N.D., to Clarence and Helen McGhee Cunningham, who had settled in Poplar in 1920. The family bought a ranch west of Missoula in 1937 where her father raised hay and cattle. She and her two brothers, Scott and James, attended the one-room DeSmet School west of Missoula in the late ’30s and ’40s.
Nancy graduated from Missoula County High School in 1948, where she won the Best Actress award at the 1948 Interscholastic Meet. She attended Montana State University in 1949, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1965. She also earned an associate degree in art from the Northern Virginia Community College, Virginia, in 1979.
After a brief courtship, Nancy married Rod MacDonald of Kalispell in September 1949 at her parents’ home on Flathead Lake. They had three children, Scott, Melinda and Jonathan. She may be remembered for her acting in the Old Brewery Theater and in her singing role as the mother in the first two performances of “Amahl and the Night Visitors” with the Helena Symphony. She later studied art and began to work seriously as a painter. Most recently, she held exhibitions at the Holter Museum of Art, the Turman Larison Contemporary Gallery and the Missoula Art Museum.
She was a devoted wife and mother who lived her life with dignity, grace and compassion for all living things. Art and family were her passions, but she also loved music and reading. Travel was an certainly an integral part of her life’s adventure. At various times Nancy lived with her family in Seattle; Helena; Kalispell; Bozeman; Missoula; New York City; St. Maries, Idaho; Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; Monrovia, Liberia; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Bangkok, Thailand; Reston, Va.; and Seneca, S.C. After searching their hearts and the country for the best place to retire, she and her husband returned to Helena in 1994. During all of these travels, she continued to paint, and she exhibited her work across the United States as well as in several countries abroad.
Nancy was preceded in death by her parents, Clarence and Helen Cunningham; and her brother James, who died in 2013.
Nancy is survived by her husband, Rod MacDonald; her son Scott MacDonald and his wife, Sasithorn (Pom), of Helena and Udon Thani, Thailand; her daughter, Melinda, of Annandale, N.J.; her son Jonathan of Helena; her brother and sister-in-law, Scott and Jerry Cunningham of Englewood, Colo.; and her sister-in-law Darlene List of Spokane, Wash.; as well as many beloved nieces and nephews.
A private celebration of Nancy’s life will be arranged for next summer. No formal funeral services are planned. Please do not send flowers or other tributes, but if it would be of comfort to you or your family, memorial contributions may be made to Doctors Without Borders, Helena Food Share, God’s Love Shelter of Helena or your choice of charitable organizations.
Nancy’s family is deeply grateful for the comfort and friendship of the many people who have helped us and for the compassionate care of St. Peter’s ambulance, emergency room and hospice staff members.
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