Helen L. Shannon

Visitation: will be held on Friday, April 2nd, 2010 with the family to receive friends from 8:00 pm to 9:30pm at Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home.

Funeral services: Saturday, April 3, 2010 at 2:00 pm at Trinity Lutheran Church in Miles City. A reception will follow the service at the Church.

Interment: will be held in Dallas, Texas.

Helen Louise Shannon 87, passed away Thursday April 1st 2010 surrounded by her family at Holy Rosary Hospital in Miles City, Montana.

One of five children, Helen was born on December 7th, 1922 in Schenectady, New York to James Michael Connor and Mary Jane Connor (Ringer). As a young girl, her family moved to Texas where she grew up and graduated from Midland High School in 1940. Helen attended St. Pauls Hospital School of Nursing in Dallas, Texas from 1941 to 1944. She went on to attend the Barnes School of Anesthesia in St. Louis, MO in 1945 and received her certification as a Registered Nurse Anesthetist. Later that year, she met and married Glenn Merritt in Abilene, Texas. To this union 3 children were born; Glennda, Glenn Jr. and Nancy.

She worked as a nurse and Chief Anesthetist in Snyder, Texas until her husband’s untimely death in 1950. She then met and married Robert Shannon in 1951 and moved to Dallas where she worked at Methodist Hospital and gave birth to two children; Roberta and Michael. The family moved to Wishek, North Dakota in 1957 where her son Patrick was born and she began working for Lutheran Hospital and Homes Society. Helen did anesthesia in many rural North Dakota Hospitals during this time. Her remarkable nursing career also sent her to many hospitals across Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota where she developed many professional and personal relationships. Helen is remembered for her caring, loving bedside manner and the thousands of lives she touched with her genuine compassion. She also received many accolades, awards, and certifications over her 40 year medical career along with being a director of nursing at several locations as well as earning a nursing home administrators license.

She held her Christian faith closely to her heart and was a long standing member of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

Helen is survived by her six children, Glennda Wolf (Bill) Miles City, Glenn Merritt Jr. (Linda) Arlington, Texas, Nancy Merritt (Bill Redmond) Terre Haute, Indiana, Roberta Bolton (John) Buena Vista, Colorado, Michael Shannon (Theresa) Gillette, Wyoming and Patrick Shannon (Chris) Rapid City, South Dakota. Also celebrating her life are 28 grandchildren, 45 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild. She is also survived by one sister, Mildred Stephens of Temple, Texas and a brother Robert Connor of Midland, Texas.

She was preceded in death by her parents, first husband Glenn Merritt, brother James Connor, sister Dorothy Ferrell, grandchildren Glenn Merritt III and Dean Wolf and great- grandchild Christian Glenn Paul.

Visitation will be held on Friday, April 2, 2010 with the family to receive from 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm at Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home in Miles City. Christian funeral services will be held on Saturday April 3rd at 2:00 pm at the Trinity Lutheran Church, Rev. Howard Schrebeis officiating, in Miles City, MT. Reception following in the Trinitys fellowship hall. Memorial services and graveside committal will be held in Dallas, Texas, Tuesday April 6th at Dignity Chapel and Grove Hill Cemetery at 2:00 pm, Rev. Glenn Merritt officiating. Memories and condolences may be shared with the family atwww.stevensonandsons.com. Should friends desire, memorials may be made to the Trinity Lutheran Classical School;221 South Center, Miles City, MT 59301. Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home of Miles City has been entrusted with the arrangements.