Obituary of Maureen A McInnis

Maureen Ann McInnis (February 12, 1956 to July 10, 2025) Maureen A McInnis, MS, LCPC, passed away July 10, 2025 at Benefis Peace Hospice in Great Falls after living her best life surrounded by family and friends. She lived her life by the mantra “A set of roots and a pair of wings”. She lived a life of travel, adventure, and service to others. Maureen’s Celebration of Life will be held at Central Assembly of God (2001 Central Ave, Great Falls, MT) on July 25th at 2 PM. After the Celebration of Life, please join us in breaking bread and sharing stories of Maureen. It would be greatly appreciated if you are attending the Celebration of Life, to please bring finger foods or finger desserts. Maureen had a fascination and love for bubbles. She would spend hours at a time making bubbles with her grandkids. To help celebrate a life well lived, there will be bubbles. Maureen was born in Clintonville, Wisconsin to Dr. William and Mary McInnis and graduated from Marion High School in 1974. She played drums in the high school band, was editor of the Mario Yearbook, and active in girls flag football. As a Girl Scout growing up, she enjoyed multiple backpack trips and attended national and international Scouting events that took her to Wyoming, Norway, and the Menominee Indian Reservation. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a Bachelors and Masters degree in Recreational Therapy and later earned a Masters in Science in family counseling. Before beginning her professional career, she spent a summer travelling around Europe with her sister Katie. Her lifetime of work began with work with the Boy Scouts of America in Chicago, but then headed west spending time living in Rawlins, Wyoming and the Dalles and Pendleton, Oregon, before ultimately making Great Falls her home. Maureen first met Don at a contra dance that she was calling. A mutual friend had intended to set up Don with another woman who didn’t show. Maureen came over and Don removed his cowboy hat in respect which impressed Maureen. She asked him if he had a dance partner and the rest is history. They married June 6, 1994, (her parents married June 6, 1949) and Maureen became stepmom to Don’s two boys. For over two decades she had a private counseling practice in Great Falls specializing in family, custody and mediation issue. Her interests included traveling, needlepoint, walking labyrinths, making lefse, sewing, outdoor life, and drawing Celtic knots. She participated in the Red Cross volunteer mental health responder team that went to the East Coast after 9/11 to provide support at the Family Assistance Center in New Jersey, working closely with survivors and rescuers. Maureen wrote several books based on her professional experiences including A 9/11 Confession, How to Master Resilience, and Resilience in Children: 7 Simple Parenting Rules. She had a great relationship with God. In retirement, Maureen and Don lived full-time on the road in their RV, traveling to Arizona, Washington, Texas, Utah, and across the West—especially loving the National Parks, the mountains, and Oregon beaches. They became part of a far-flung community of full-timers, snowbirds, and boondockers meeting up around the nation. Maureen especially cherished time spent with her niece Meagan Varley, her husband Mark, and their spirited daughter Alix in Point of Rocks, WY. Maureen treasured the time in TX with her brother Bill, her niece Madison Moczygemba, her husband Justin, and their son Kyler. Maureen is survived by her husband Don Lundby; her stepson David and wife Jessica Lundby (children Devin and Mark); stepson Kevin and wife Michelle Lundby (children Addisin, Orrin and Ethan); and in-laws Leonard and Janis Lundby. She is also survived by her sisters Katie (Bill Dittrich) of Boston MA; Maggie of Lynnwood, WA, and Aileen (Joe Page) of Anchorage, AK, and brothers Patrick (Patty) Plymouth, MN; Bill, Dallas TX; Tom (Sue) Oshkosh WI; Brian (Monica) Bonham TX; Cormac (Colleen), Green Bay WI; and Chris (Michelle) Little Chute, WI, along with many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers Michael and Timm. When asked to describe Maureen in one word, family and friends said: traveler, free spirited, fiercely independent, wise, creative, attentive, tenacious, adventurous, fun, talented, bright, wonderful, kind spirit, influential, spit fire, assertive, kind, cheerleader, educator, persistent, knowledgeable, great listener, and strength.