Ruth Ann Hellen, 83
Bigfork Eagle | UPDATED 1 week, 3 days AGO
Ruth Ann Hellen, 83, passed peacefully on Jan. 12, 2026, in Great Falls, surrounded by family. She was joyfully reunited with her beloved husband and entered her eternal home with her Lord and Savior. Ruth was born on April 1, 1942, in Kalispell, the eldest of ten children, to Steve and Ellen (Orr) Resch.
On Nov. 5, 1960, Ruth married James "Jim" Hellen in Libby. Together they made their home in Jim’s hometown of Somers, where they raised their four children and built a life grounded in family and community.
Ruth had a deep love for the outdoors and shared that passion with her family through camping, hunting, and fishing. She was especially known for her love of Christmas. Her home — inside and out — was a celebration of the season, bountifully filled with colorful, festive decorations transforming the Hellen home into something out of a Hallmark movie. The lighting of her outdoor Christmas display was eagerly anticipated throughout Somers. The traditions and memories she created continue to live on through multiple generations.
Always on the move, Ruth lived life fully. She was an exceptional cook, known for several legendary dishes. Ruth could do it all — cook, fish, hunt, build, garden, work, and above all, love deeply. After the loss of her husband Jim in 2013, Ruth devoted herself to her grandchildren and, later, her cherished great-grandchildren.
Starting at Sliters Mercantile, establishing Somers Grocery, moving to the mortgage business, running a convenience store and back to Sliters Lumber, she was a dedicated and tireless worker — a natural leader. She was also committed to community, volunteering for her church, serving as the chair of the Somers Water Board and most recently serving as chair of her HOA in Great Falls. She was a force of nature — small but mighty.
In 2018, Ruth moved to Great Falls, where she became actively involved in Holy Spirit Catholic Church and in her HOA. She rarely missed "Grandma Wednesdays" at her daughter-in-law Joni’s home, where she spent countless joyful hours playing on the floor or outside with her great-grandchildren.
Ruth was loving, generous, and kind, yet never hesitant to speak her mind. She was a trusted source of wisdom, a steady moral compass, and a voice of reason to many. Our family could not have been blessed with a grander matriarch.
Ruth is survived by her children, Jim (Joni) Hellen, Mike (Debbi) Hellen, Jackie (Rob) Spicher and John (Heather) Hellen; her sisters, Diane Mellem and Roxanne Griner; and her brothers, Chuck (Sue), John (Yvonne), Greg (Barb), Joe (Kim) and Steve (Colleen) Resch. She is also survived by ten grandchildren, numerous great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Jim; her mother, Ellen Resch Dryden; her fathers, Steve Resch Sr. and Glenn Dryden; and her brothers, Casey and Randy Resch.
A viewing will be held the evening of Feb. 6 at Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home in Kalispell. The funeral Mass will take place on Feb. 7 at Saint John Paul II Catholic Church in Bigfork, with the Rosary beginning at 10:30 a.m. and Mass at 11 a.m. A luncheon will follow at the church from noon to 1:30 p.m., with burial at Conrad Memorial Cemetery in Kalispell at 2 p.m. A Rosary and dedicated Mass will also be held at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Great Falls on Feb. 28, beginning at 4 p.m.