Theresia Mary (Salonka) Mengershausen

Theresia Mary Mengershausen, 58, a teacher and homemaker from Cut Bank, went to be with the Lord and Savior she loved on July 16th after a courageous battle with cancer. Visitation will be Friday, July 26th, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at the Whitted Funeral Chapel in Cut Bank. A celebration of her life will be at 1:00 pm at the Cut Bank Community Bible Church. Everyone is invited to attend.

Theresia was born July 12, 1955 in Toronto, Ontario Canada. After completing high school in Brooks, Alberta, she graduated and received a diploma from Prairie Bible Institute. In April of 1997 she married the love of her life. Together they lived in Grants Pass, Oregon where she dedicated her life to raising her husband and their two children. As a stay-at-home mom she spent countless hours with her children. Theresia would take them to parks, museums, libraries and many other functions. She worked tirelessly with her husband as they remodeled two houses. Her love for teaching always found an outlet as she taught Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, or whatever else her hand found to do. In the thirty-six plus years of marriage, her husband never saw her bored. She was the heart and soul of her family. Her faith in God was unwavering. Many times she would say to her husband, "Gary, He's our heavenly Father, and we can trust Him to take care of us." Theresia truly was a marvelous companion and friend to her husband. Her joy and laughter made a fantastic home for him and their two children.  This lady had always wanted to be a school teacher, and in 1999 she went back to school. Five years later she graduated from Western Oregon University with a 4.0 grade average and an elementary teaching degree. In the summer of 2004 she was hired by the Browning School District and spent nine years teaching at Glendale Colony until poor health forced her to retire.

Theresia was an avid gardener and bird-watcher. Books attesting to this addiction littered her home. Often binoculars would sit on the table as she watched the coming and goings of these winged creatures. People told her she had a green thumb, but countless hours in her gardening books and in the dirt were the real reasons for her success. She loved to travel, to see and to explore. She was a superb grandmother, always looking for opportunities to see, or do something for her five grandchildren.

Survivors include Gary Mengershausen, her husband of thirty-six years; daughter, Kristi Hill (Josh Hill) of Gresham OR; son, Pete Mengershausen (Tara Mengershausen) of Layton, UT; mother, Rose Salonka of Brooks, Alberta; brothers Michael Salonka (Sally Salonka) of Calgary, Alberta, and Nick Salonka (Vionne Salonka) of Brooks, Alberta; as well as five grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her dad, Ivan Salonka.