Marian Carol Gipe, 91, of Great Falls, Montana, passed away at her home on hospice care on Thursday, August 27, 2026. A Celebration of Marian's Life will be held at Croxford Funeral Home on Friday, September 18, 2026, at 11 AM, with visitation one hour prior to service and a reception to follow the service. Private family inurnment will be scheduled for a later date at Moccasin Cemetery.
Marian was born February 16, 1935, in Lewistown, Montana, at her grandmother’s home, to Merrill and Caroline (Ewell) Baldridge. She was raised and educated in Moccasin, Montana, before continuing her education at college in Spokane and later attending the Commercial College in Great Falls.
As a young woman, Marian worked for Bolands Title Company, where she spent her days running important documents between the title office, county recorder, and local legal offices.
On August 26, 1956, Marian married George Richard Gipe at the Presbyterian Church in Moccasin. Together, they built a marriage that spanned 65 years and a family that became the center of Marian’s world. They welcomed four children, Ronald, Sherri, Sharla, and Mark. Marian loved each of her children dearly, though everyone knew her boys held an especially tender place in her heart. She and George shared their lives until his passing in 2021.
Family was not simply important to Marian—it was woven into nearly everything she did. She loved family gatherings, celebrations, holidays, and any occasion that brought everyone together. She gave generously of her time as both a Boy Scout and Girl Scout leader and was also a member of the Rebekah Odd Fellows Lodge. As the years went by and her family grew, Marian happily settled into one of her most treasured roles: grandmother. She became affectionately known as “Grandma Grape” and “G-ma,” names that carried with them countless memories and an abundance of love.
Marian enjoyed traveling and collected wonderful memories along the way. Among her favorite destinations were Hawaii, St. Thomas, and the Eastern Seaboard. One trip resulted in a particularly memorable souvenir—a loud buoy bell she brought home and hung
outside, bringing a little bit of the coast back to Montana with her. As much as she enjoyed seeing faraway places, Marian also loved the beauty and peacefulness of the mountains.
Creativity seemed to flow naturally from Marian’s hands. She was remarkably crafty and had the patience for projects that others might never dare attempt. Her handmade greeting cards were works of love, created by painstakingly cutting intricate photographs, letters, and words and arranging them into something meant especially for the person receiving it. If a card came from Marian, there was never any question whether it had come from a store.
She sewed patchwork pieces, lap quilts, baby quilts, clothing, and travel pillows. Later in life, when the fine work became a little more difficult for her hands, her children stepped in to help, turning those projects into shared creations and giving them another layer of meaning. Marian’s imagination seemed endless. She painted rocks, transformed golf balls into cheerful ladybugs, made yarn octopuses, and was always finding another way to turn ordinary materials into something fun or beautiful.
That same creativity found its way into her kitchen. Marian loved baking and cooking for the people she loved. Through the years, there were birthday cakes for children and grandchildren, Easter cakes, wedding cakes, homemade mints, and, of course, her unforgettable cookies. Food was another way Marian cared for her family—a way of marking milestones, making celebrations special, and reminding the people gathered around her table that they were loved.
Marian’s life was made up of those acts of love: the carefully cut pieces of a handmade card, the stitches in a quilt, a cake baked for someone’s special day, a family gathering, a trip remembered, and the simple joy of creating something with her own two hands. She was a loving and caring matriarch whose greatest legacy can be found in the family she cherished and the countless memories she created for them.
Marian was preceded in death by her husband, George Richard Gipe in 2021; her parents; her brothers, Donald (Louise) and Richard Baldridge; her daughter-in-law, Sari Gipe.
She is survived by her sons, Ronald Gipe, Great Falls, Mark (Aleece) Gipe, Great Falls; her daughters, Sherri (Casey) Sweeney, Great Falls, Sharla (Carl) Suurendonk, East Helena, MT; her grandchildren, Shaun (Kasey) Morris, Taylor (Sutter) Gipe-Rodgers, Cady (Baxter Roach) Suurendonk, Samuel Gipe, Charley Jo Gipe, Hannah (Josh) Byers, Chandler (Shane) Chouinard; her great-grandchildren, Tanner (Delainie), Jacob, and Madelyn Morris, Harper and Olivia Gipe-Rodgers, Renyleigh and Lowen Chouinard; her sisters, Helen (Carl) Gocksch and Marilyn (Jeff) Barnhart; along with numerous niece and nephews and a host of friends.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in Marian's name are requested to Stillwater Hospice, 600 6th St. NW #5, Great Falls, MT 59404 or a charity of one’s choice.
