Mary's Obituary from the Billings Gazette

Mary Lauri Craig
HELENA – Mary Lauri Craig, 71, died peacefully Tuesday night, Oct. 9, 2007, after a prolonged struggle with cancer. The only child of Hilma Newman Lauri and Henry Lauri, Finnish prospectors of Elliston, she was the third generation to live on her family homestead. Mary grew up in the mountain country, spending summers in a tent and every spare hour on a trout stream. She graduated with the Helena High class of 1952.

Mary married W. Jack Craig in 1958 and lived in California, Columbia Falls, Elliston and finally settled in Billings with their two daughters, Nona and Lauri Sue. She started oil painting and wood carving, living each summer in a high mountain, back country cabin that had bars on the windows - not to keep Mary in, but to keep the bears out. In addition to raising her children, Mary worked at an accounting office in Billings and then returned to college, where she earned her BS cum laude from Rocky Mountain College in 1973.

Licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in 1974, Mary formed her own firm in Billings. In 1979, she was named by Governor Tom Judge to be Director of the Department of Revenue for the State of Montana, the second woman in the state's history to head a major state department. She enjoyed making tax policy and directing 1,400 employees throughout the state.

In 1981, Mary again opened her Billings practice and added a Helena office, where she worked until her retirement in 1994. She gave an annual series of workshops co-sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration and thoroughly enjoyed going on the road with "the best dog-and-pony show in town."

Mary was a master mentor to many young people, encouraging them to return to school and to become CPAs. She started chapters of the American Society of Women Accountants (ASWA) in Billings and in Helena. Both groups established Mary Craig Scholarship Funds to help young women go back to school. Her enthusiasm, her humor, her dedication to her profession, and her love of people encouraged all who passed her way.

Mary was honored officially by the national ASWA, by the MT Society of Certified Public Accountants, by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, and by Billings and Helena BPW and YWCAs for her knowledge and her community service.

Mary was a longtime member of the League of Women Voters and a Board member for Helena's Friendship Center.
Mary was proudest of all of her daughters and grandchildren. She was an exceptionally creative person, able to build or make almost anything. She loved music. She played the accordion and entertained, along with her partner on the hammered dulcimer, at nursing homes, funerals, and weddings - or anywhere that music was needed and enjoyed. Up until recently, she was an avid fly fisherwoman, golfer, and gold prospector as well as an enthusiastic player of many kinds of cards, including pinochle, gin rummy, pitch and poker.

A keen traveler, Mary delighted in trips with her fifth wheel trailer throughout the West. Mary spent the last few winters enjoying life in Sun City Vistoso in Tucson, Ariz.

Mary survived struggles with breast cancer (1988), and non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (1998) but finally met up with lung cancer (2007). She showed an amazing ability to survive against great odds. She was a role model and a great help to others.

Mary was known for her ready smile, her sharp wit, her loving hugs, her sage advice, her entertaining stories, her generous spirit, her indomitable will, her mental agility and toughness, her Finnish "sisu." She was a strong, independent woman, an authentic representative of the Montana spirit.

Survivors include her daughters, Nona Marie Craig and her husband Dennis Hong, and their daughters, Aubrey Choi Hong and Kendall Choi Hong of Wilmette, Ill.; Lauri Sue Craig Novotne and her husband, Nicholas Novotne, and their son, Colton Craig Novotne, of Helena; Judith Carlson and her family, including Daniel and Lizzie Carlson-Thompson and sons Clark, Paul and Ben of Helena, Tom and Kris Carlson and daughters, Jasmine and Camas, of Somers, Michael and Janet Carlson and daughter, Janet, of Centennial, Colo.; her cousin Norman "Tyke" Lauri and his wife, Patricia of Elliston and their family, Valerie and Rob Krause of Helena, Randy and Theresa Lauri of Boise, Idaho, Lynette and Duane Buchi of Oklahoma City; cousins, Beverly and Larry Prinkki, Bernice and Bill Wylder of Waverly, Neb.; cousins Donna and Dale King of Clever, Mo., and Barbara and Joe Raible of Salem, Ore., and their families.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Oct. 20, at 11 a.m., at St. Paul's Methodist Church in Helena.
For those who wish, memorials can be made to the ASWA Mary Craig Scholarship Fund, PO Box 20593, Billings, MT 59104 or to the Helena Friendship Center.

The family gives their deepest thanks to hospice of A+Health Care for the loving care provided by their staff.

Published in the Billings Gazette on 10/14/2007.

Mary Craig Scholarship Golf Tournament

To honor the founding member of our chapter, Mary Craig, we established a scholarship
fund in her name a number of years ago. In consideration of the increased costs of education,
we decided to expand funding opportunities by sponsoring an annual golf tournament.
Thanks to a great group of participants we have been able to provide much more in
scholarship money since our golf tournament began in June 2000.


Scholarships Awarded for 2007–2008 Academic School Year

 The Scholarship committee awarded the following scholarships
for the 2007-2008 academic school year:

 Alyson Miller*, Billings – $250 certification scholarship

Jill Lee*, MSU-Billings – $1000 undergraduate scholarship

Katherine Browne, Carroll College – $1000 undergraduate scholarship

Susan Weikel*, MSU-Billings – $1500 undergraduate scholarship

Sarah Leavy, MSU-Bozeman – $1500 undergraduate scholarship

  * ASWA members

We are currently in the process of reviewing applications
for the high school scholarship and will award this shortly.

Thank you to all the golfers who participate. We hope you have as much fun as we do.

Pictures from June 29, 2007 Golf Tournament