Emily Louise (Wherley) Wiherski, 90

Emily Louise (Wherley) Wiherski, 90, a beloved wife, sister, aunt and friend, passed away Oct. 26, 2026, in the comfort of her home in Columbia Falls. She was born on July 8, 1936, in Lewistown, Montana.

Emily grew up around Lewistown until her family moved west to Florence where she graduated from high school in 1953. After graduating, Emily attended the University of Montana where she earned a B.S. in business education in 1957. In 1960, she moved to Ottumwa, Iowa, and joined the congregation of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary, taking the name Sister Marie Louise. 

Emily studied business at Marycrest College and received her B.A. in business education and minor in home economics in 1964. She continued studying at various colleges in Iowa while with the sisters until discerning out in the late 1960s. Life took her many places until she ended up back in the Bitterroot Valley where she met and married Richard Wiherski in August 1990 in Stevensville. The couple moved to the Flathead Valley where Emily worked as a legal secretary at the McGarvey law firm in Kalispell and retired in 1996.

Emily was a member of St. Richard Parish and served as a past president of the Council of Catholic Women, was a collection counter, devoted member of the Rosary prayer group and handmade items for the annual Holiday Bazaar. For several years she was a member of the Teakettle Quilt Guild and made small quilts for the historical Montana Initiative for the Abatement of Mortality in Infants (MIAMI) Act. She made aprons and potholders and sold them in the Shear Perfection beauty salon then donated the proceeds to the church. Her other hobbies were cross-stitch, crossword puzzles and sudoku. She always had dogs or cats and loved them all dearly.

Crystal Purvis, program director and manager of My Glacier Village in Kalispell, where Emily became a member in 2024, remembers Emily as, “Someone who was perfectly content to sit back and take it all in. She was quiet, reserved, and observant. Emily seemed to find genuine happiness in being present, watching conversations unfold, sharing in the laughter, and enjoying the company of those around her.”

Emily was preceded in death by her parents, Raymond A. and Emma (Vanek) Wherley; her husband Richard; niece Cara; and grand-niece Astrid.

Emily is survived by her three brothers, Raymond (Kathy), Richard (Janice) and Michael (Deborah) Wherley; her sister Mary Henne; and many nieces and nephews.

A funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Nov. 6 at St. Richard Parish in Columbia Falls with a rosary prayed beforehand at 10 a.m. Burial will follow at St. Richard cemetery followed by a reception back at the parish hall.

Columbia Mortuary in Columbia Falls is caring for the family.