Fern Claire Aagaard, a life long resident of Helena, passed away Friday, Dec. 31, 1999, after a very short illness.
Born Aug. 22, 1914, to Frank Aagaard and Annis McWethy Aagaard, Fern was the last of a large pioneering family to still live in Helena. She was through and through, a Helena girl steeped in its history, its families and its geography.
She was also a pioneer in the work force, holding traditionally male-dominated positions with both the U.S. Geological Survey and Boeing.
Fern's grandparents, the McWethy's, homesteaded in the Canyon Creek area in the 1870s following a trek westward by wagon train and riverboat. The original hand written account of that journey now resides in the Helena museum and the original log home still stands.
Her father, Frank Aagaard, emigrated from Denmark and made his living gold mining in the Helena valley and the Seven-Up Pete region near Lincoln. (The family's mining equipment was recently salvaged from the Seven-Up mine site and now resides in the Lincoln museum).
Fern attended Helena schools graduating from Helena High in 1933. She attended Intermountain Union College for two years and later took short courses in engineering technology from Montana State University, the University of Washington and Carroll College.
In 1943 she was one of few women employed by the Boeing Company as an engineering technician on the B29 project.
Returning to Helena in 1946 she was employed by the U.S. Geological Survey as a hydrological engineering technician. According to the family, Fern achieved the highest U.S.G.S. ranking of any woman outside of Washington, D.C., and was
especially proud to have authored an exhaustive report on water data in Montana.
Fern not only knew every creek and rivulet in the state, she knew when and how much water it carried, and the geology behind its existence.
Fern was a member of St. Peter's Episcopal Church where she served in St. Catherine's Guild and was a long time worker in the church Bargain Basement. She was a member of the Josephine Hepner Chapter of the Order of Eastern Star and a 30+ year member of ZONTA professional women's service club, serving for many years as an officer. She was active for years in bowling and golf circles, winning competitions in both sports.
Fern was preceded in death by her parents, Annis and Frank Aagaard; her brother, Frank and sister, Lucille. She is survived by numerous cousins throughout Montana; two nieces, Irene Hunter and Jeanne Muir and a nephew, David Muir, all of the Seattle area.
She has also been well supported by friends throughout Helena during the last years of her life.
Special thanks should go to the Marge and Inge Jacobson family, for their loving attention and to ZONTA for going out of their way to include her in ZONTA functions.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m., Jan. 15, at St. Peter's Episcopal Church with a reception following the service.
Remembrances could be made to the ZONTA Scholarship Fund, P.O. 477, Helena, Mont. 59624.
Retz Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Born Aug. 22, 1914, to Frank Aagaard and Annis McWethy Aagaard, Fern was the last of a large pioneering family to still live in Helena. She was through and through, a Helena girl steeped in its history, its families and its geography.
She was also a pioneer in the work force, holding traditionally male-dominated positions with both the U.S. Geological Survey and Boeing.
Fern's grandparents, the McWethy's, homesteaded in the Canyon Creek area in the 1870s following a trek westward by wagon train and riverboat. The original hand written account of that journey now resides in the Helena museum and the original log home still stands.
Her father, Frank Aagaard, emigrated from Denmark and made his living gold mining in the Helena valley and the Seven-Up Pete region near Lincoln. (The family's mining equipment was recently salvaged from the Seven-Up mine site and now resides in the Lincoln museum).
Fern attended Helena schools graduating from Helena High in 1933. She attended Intermountain Union College for two years and later took short courses in engineering technology from Montana State University, the University of Washington and Carroll College.
In 1943 she was one of few women employed by the Boeing Company as an engineering technician on the B29 project.
Returning to Helena in 1946 she was employed by the U.S. Geological Survey as a hydrological engineering technician. According to the family, Fern achieved the highest U.S.G.S. ranking of any woman outside of Washington, D.C., and was
especially proud to have authored an exhaustive report on water data in Montana.
Fern not only knew every creek and rivulet in the state, she knew when and how much water it carried, and the geology behind its existence.
Fern was a member of St. Peter's Episcopal Church where she served in St. Catherine's Guild and was a long time worker in the church Bargain Basement. She was a member of the Josephine Hepner Chapter of the Order of Eastern Star and a 30+ year member of ZONTA professional women's service club, serving for many years as an officer. She was active for years in bowling and golf circles, winning competitions in both sports.
Fern was preceded in death by her parents, Annis and Frank Aagaard; her brother, Frank and sister, Lucille. She is survived by numerous cousins throughout Montana; two nieces, Irene Hunter and Jeanne Muir and a nephew, David Muir, all of the Seattle area.
She has also been well supported by friends throughout Helena during the last years of her life.
Special thanks should go to the Marge and Inge Jacobson family, for their loving attention and to ZONTA for going out of their way to include her in ZONTA functions.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m., Jan. 15, at St. Peter's Episcopal Church with a reception following the service.
Remembrances could be made to the ZONTA Scholarship Fund, P.O. 477, Helena, Mont. 59624.
Retz Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Fern Claire Aagaard, a life long resident of Helena, passed away Friday, Dec. 31, 1999, after a very short illness.
Born Aug. 22, 1914, to Frank Aagaard and Annis McWethy Aagaard, Fern was the last of a large pioneering family to still live in Helena. She was through and through, a Helena girl steeped in its history, its families and its geography.
She was also a pioneer in the work force, holding traditionally male-dominated positions with both the U.S. Geological Survey and Boeing.
Fern's grandparents, the McWethy's, homesteaded in the Canyon Creek area in the 1870s following a trek westward by wagon train and riverboat. The original hand written account of that journey now resides in the Helena museum and the original log home still stands.
Her father, Frank Aagaard, emigrated from Denmark and made his living gold mining in the Helena valley and the Seven-Up Pete region near Lincoln. (The family's mining equipment was recently salvaged from the Seven-Up mine site and now resides in the Lincoln museum).
Fern attended Helena schools graduating from Helena High in 1933. She attended Intermountain Union College for two years and later took short courses in engineering technology from Montana State University, the University of Washington and Carroll College.
In 1943 she was one of few women employed by the Boeing Company as an engineering technician on the B29 project.
Returning to Helena in 1946 she was employed by the U.S. Geological Survey as a hydrological engineering technician. According to the family, Fern achieved the highest U.S.G.S. ranking of any woman outside of Washington, D.C., and was
especially proud to have authored an exhaustive report on water data in Montana.
Fern not only knew every creek and rivulet in the state, she knew when and how much water it carried, and the geology behind its existence.
Fern was a member of St. Peter's Episcopal Church where she served in St. Catherine's Guild and was a long time worker in the church Bargain Basement. She was a member of the Josephine Hepner Chapter of the Order of Eastern Star and a 30+ year member of ZONTA professional women's service club, serving for many years as an officer. She was active for years in bowling and golf circles, winning competitions in both sports.
Fern was preceded in death by her parents, Annis and Frank Aagaard; her brother, Frank and sister, Lucille. She is survived by numerous cousins throughout Montana; two nieces, Irene Hunter and Jeanne Muir and a nephew, David Muir, all of the Seattle area.
She has also been well supported by friends throughout Helena during the last years of her life.
Special thanks should go to the Marge and Inge Jacobson family, for their loving attention and to ZONTA for going out of their way to include her in ZONTA functions.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m., Jan. 15, at St. Peter's Episcopal Church with a reception following the service.
Remembrances could be made to the ZONTA Scholarship Fund, P.O. 477, Helena, Mont. 59624.
Retz Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Born Aug. 22, 1914, to Frank Aagaard and Annis McWethy Aagaard, Fern was the last of a large pioneering family to still live in Helena. She was through and through, a Helena girl steeped in its history, its families and its geography.
She was also a pioneer in the work force, holding traditionally male-dominated positions with both the U.S. Geological Survey and Boeing.
Fern's grandparents, the McWethy's, homesteaded in the Canyon Creek area in the 1870s following a trek westward by wagon train and riverboat. The original hand written account of that journey now resides in the Helena museum and the original log home still stands.
Her father, Frank Aagaard, emigrated from Denmark and made his living gold mining in the Helena valley and the Seven-Up Pete region near Lincoln. (The family's mining equipment was recently salvaged from the Seven-Up mine site and now resides in the Lincoln museum).
Fern attended Helena schools graduating from Helena High in 1933. She attended Intermountain Union College for two years and later took short courses in engineering technology from Montana State University, the University of Washington and Carroll College.
In 1943 she was one of few women employed by the Boeing Company as an engineering technician on the B29 project.
Returning to Helena in 1946 she was employed by the U.S. Geological Survey as a hydrological engineering technician. According to the family, Fern achieved the highest U.S.G.S. ranking of any woman outside of Washington, D.C., and was
especially proud to have authored an exhaustive report on water data in Montana.
Fern not only knew every creek and rivulet in the state, she knew when and how much water it carried, and the geology behind its existence.
Fern was a member of St. Peter's Episcopal Church where she served in St. Catherine's Guild and was a long time worker in the church Bargain Basement. She was a member of the Josephine Hepner Chapter of the Order of Eastern Star and a 30+ year member of ZONTA professional women's service club, serving for many years as an officer. She was active for years in bowling and golf circles, winning competitions in both sports.
Fern was preceded in death by her parents, Annis and Frank Aagaard; her brother, Frank and sister, Lucille. She is survived by numerous cousins throughout Montana; two nieces, Irene Hunter and Jeanne Muir and a nephew, David Muir, all of the Seattle area.
She has also been well supported by friends throughout Helena during the last years of her life.
Special thanks should go to the Marge and Inge Jacobson family, for their loving attention and to ZONTA for going out of their way to include her in ZONTA functions.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m., Jan. 15, at St. Peter's Episcopal Church with a reception following the service.
Remembrances could be made to the ZONTA Scholarship Fund, P.O. 477, Helena, Mont. 59624.
Retz Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
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