Beloved mother, grandmother, and sister, Mary Bridgid (Baumgardner) Harlan passed away on Sunday, October 4, 2026, in Great Falls at the age of 77.
The youngest of five siblings, Bridgid was born on December 25, 1948, the best Christmas gift ever to Arthur and Margaret Baumgardner in Anaconda, Montana.
After graduating from Anaconda Central High School in 1967, she attended Sacred Heart School of Nursing in Spokane, Washington and became a registered nurse. A caring and empathetic soul from the start, nursing was a natural fit; she did bedside nursing at Columbus Hospital in Great Falls for a time before beginning a long and fulfilling career with Medicare as a medical review RN. In 1983, she was part of the team that was instrumental in implementing the streamlined billing and payment procedures that Medicare adopted and still uses today, working diligently to protect Medicare and all its beneficiaries from fraudulent billing practices.
On April 8, 1972, she married Larry Harlan and they settled in Great Falls. Their daughter, Christine, was born in 1973, and they had their son, Brian, in 1976.
Her Catholic faith was extremely important to her, and her compassion and empathy were always on display. Anyone who ever met her knew what a great listener she was. She was warm, welcoming, had an amazing sense of humor, and gave great advice. Her greatest gift was for making other people feel welcome, at ease, and appreciated, she was known to leave mints on your pillow when you stayed at her house; she remembered the kind of coffee you liked best so she could always have some on hand; she would pick up the shampoo you liked if she saw that it was on sale. Generous almost to a fault, she could always be counted on to leave the last cookie in the bag or the last (much beloved) green olive in the jar for someone else “who may want it more.”
A vigil will be held on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 6:00 p.m., followed by a Funeral Mass on Friday, October 16, 2026, at 11:00 a.m., both at Holy Spirit Catholic Parish in Great Falls.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Arthur and Margaret Baumgardner; husband, Larry Harlan; brother, James Baumgardner; and niece, Sandie Polutnik Buus.
She is survived by her children, Christine (Jon) of Beaverton, OR, and Brian (Shannon) of Billings; also by the grandsons she loved to spoil, Blake, Brennan, and Aaron; her sister, Annette Polutnik (Ernie), brother, Bill (JoAnne) Baumgardner of Holmen, WI; brother, Joe (Mary Ann) Baumgardner of Helena, sister-in-law, Cherry Baumgardner of Billings, MT, and sister-in-law, Patsy Harlan of Coleridge, NE.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the St. Martin de Poores Mission/St. Jude’s Conference/Emilie Center of Great Falls: PO Box 141, 1920 10th Avenue S, Great Falls, MT 59403.
She will be forever missed.
Condolences for the family may be left online at www.SchniderFuneralHome.com.
