Shirley Leffler Saunders, 95
Daily Inter-Lake | UPDATED 3 days, 10 hours AGO
Shirley Leffler Saunders, 95, born in Forsyth on Nov. 30, 1930, died on Jan 14, 2026, in Bigfork. She graduated in 1955 with a music education degree from the U of M. In 1956, she married Lloyd Saunders, from Hardin, where she had her first teaching job.
Shirley was a life-long musician, choir director and licensed realtor. She was active in her churches, PEO, Delta Gamma and her communities. At 92, she could still play a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" on the baby grand piano even though she was legally blind.
She is survived by three children, Cindy in Bigfork, David in Albuquerque and Jack in Bigfork, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren in Montana, Wyoming, California, South Carolina and New Mexico, and her sister, Nancy Aasland in North Carolina.
A memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sept. 3 at Bigfork Methodist Church. Memorials may be sent to Bigfork Methodist Church AV Fund, Bigfork PEO Scholarship Fund (PEO Chapter BH, Box 912, Bigfork, MT 59911) or Big Horn County Historical Museum in Hardin, Montana.