Dorothy “Rose” (Dion) Farnik, 82, a longtime resident of Hingham and Great Falls, died peacefully of natural causes with her family at her side at the Peace Hospice in Great Falls on Saturday.
A vigil service will be 6 p.m. Thursday at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church at 409 13th St. S. in Great Falls. Her funeral mass will be 2 p.m. Friday at Our Lady of Ransom Catholic Church in Hingham with burial at the Hingham Cemetery. A luncheon will follow at the Hingham church. Viewing will be available at both churches one hour prior to the services. Arrangements are by Rockman Funeral Chapel of Chester. She is survived by her sons, Douglas (JoNell) of Joshua Tree, Calif., Jerry (Marilyn) of Prague, Czech Republic and Michael (Denise) of Hingham, Mont.; nine grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and one brother, Walter (Barbara) Dion of Havre. She was born July 29, 1926, in Havre and raised on a farm south of town with 11 siblings. She attended St. Jude’s Catholic School and Havre High School. She married Joseph Farnik in 1943 and raised four boys on the Farnik farm north of Hingham. She was a talented musician, playing as an organist for our Lady of Ransom Catholic Church and entertaining weekly at the Inverness Supper Club for many years. Other social activities included bowling and playing bridge. Dorothy “Rose” was neighborly to all. She moved to Great Falls in 1976 and was an active member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. She owned and operated a Hammond organ store, enjoyed entertaining at rest homes and dancing with the Golden Slippers for over 20 years, and loved baking bread for all her friends. Over of the course of her baking years, numerous bread machines were completely worn out. That is how she became known as the infamous “bread lady.” She also enjoyed reading, dancing, knitting, playing cards, cooking, jazz festivals and of course, watching “Jeopardy” and the PBS channel. Loyalty to the Eagles Lodge earned her a 30-year pen and she was also a devoted 20-year member of the VFW Auxiliary. Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph; son Eddie; parents, Fred and Elizabeth Dion; five sisters; and five brothers. Memorial contributions in Dorothy’s honor may be made to Peace Hospice of Great Falls or donor’s choice.
