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Margaret Mahoney Obituary
Great Falls, MT - Dr. Margaret Mahoney, 86, of Great Falls and formerly of Louisville, KY, died March 11, 2018.
Dr. Mahoney was the oldest of four children, Ruth, Bill and Susan born to Lillian and William Mahoney. After graduating Summa Cum Laude in 1953 from the University of Great Falls, she went to the University of Minnesota where she received both her Masters of Arts and PhD in Ancient History. In 1958, she became the first woman to teach at Bellarmine University, a college for men. Being the only woman faculty member until 1963, she became a favorite of her history students. She lectured without any notes and began each day where she stopped the day before. She never missed a class during her years as a professor.
From 1965 until 1992, Dr. Mahoney was the Director of the Cardinal Section, Bellarmine's first honors program. Graduates of this honors program and many history majors raised more than $25,000 to start the Dr. Margaret Mahoney Scholarship Fund, which enables talented needy students to attend Bellarmine.
Dr. Mahoney was chair of the Social Science Division and then became the second chairperson of Bellarmine's History/Political Science Department. A position she held until a few years before retirement.
During her career, Dr. Mahoney was twice voted by the students as Teacher of the Year. She has received the William T. Miles Award, the Distinguished Service Award from Bellarmine Alumni Association, and the Monsignor Horrigan Award. Each summer, Dr. Mahoney traveled to Europe for additional studies in many countries. She also attended the prestigious Anglo American Historical Conference at the University of London. For her dedication to her students and absolute commitment to teaching, Bellarmine University honored her with the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.
During her last years at Bellarmine, she had colleagues who went beyond the call of duty to help her in many ways. Dr. Mahoney resided with her sister, Susan Stemple while in Great Falls, until she moved to Highgate.
She is survived by brother William (Pat) Mahoney of Las Vegas, NV; sisters Susan Stemple and Ruth Jewett of Great Falls; niece Coleen Hedspeth; and nephews Tim Mahoney, Joel and Jon Jewett of Los Angeles and Tom Stemple of Great Falls.
The family would like to thank the staff and caregivers at Highgate for taking such good care of our sister.
Visitation will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Tues, March 20th at Schnider Funeral Home. A funeral liturgy will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 21, 2018 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, followed by burial at Mount Olivet Cemetery.
Memorials in Dr. Mahoney's name may be made to the Dr. Margaret Mahoney Scholarship Fund, 2001 Newburg Rd, Louisville, KY 40205 or Maclean Animal Center, PO Box 3426, Great Falls, MT 59403.
Condolences for the family may be posted at www.SchniderFuneralHome.com.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Margaret Mahoney
Sponsored by The Courier-Journal.
Anne Walter
April 13, 2018
I bow to the wonderful spirit of Dr. Mahoney, now surely living in God's light! As a professor she inspired me to reach for my best self. As a genuinely open, funny, kind and wise person she touched me. All these 40 years since meeting her I have held her remarkable dedication (NEVER missing class), scholarship (INCREDIBLE ability to remember all details and communicate them in a compelling and interesting manner), astounding memory, intellectual capacity, and endless energy as an ideal to strive toward. Cardinal Section was a joy with her (and Dr. Lyons and Dr. Hall, of course) - she opened doors to so many worlds for us!
And she always remembered who I was (though I am not remarkable), whenever I saw her, even decades after my 1982 graduation from Bellarmine with a double BA in History and English.
My love and prayers to all Dr. Mahoney's blood-family and extensive Bellarmine family. We are all the better for having crossed paths with her!
Jeff Noble
March 22, 2018
Dr. Mahoney was one of Bellarmine College's icons. She touched many lives over her decades of teaching including mine in the early 1980s. May she Rest in Peace.
Easter morning baptism at the Cocoa Beach fishing pier, 2010.
Peter Zemelka
March 20, 2018
Circa September 1972, Dr. Mahoney was the first of many Bellarmine professors who had helped me to better understand the concept of a Just War. That prior to World War II there was no Ecumenical movement in Germany. And, that World War II was a big reason for the Vatican-II Council church reform movements. (The story goes that it was not until after Allied bombers had bombed the NAZI-German cities indescriminally and Catholic and Lutheran Churches became damaged or destroyed, that the respective communities then started to talk more to one another for the first time.) Could War have been prevented if more women leaders prevailed? Or, if women were Ordained? For me, it was a disappointment, then, that after Dr. Mahoney had left Bellarmine and Louisville, that on the 500th year of the Lutheran-Protestant anniversary (circa October 31, 2017)--that Bellarmine University made too little effort to reach out to our Louisville's Lutheran communities to help commemorate the anniversary and the agreed upon theological accords, of Martin Luther's posting of his 95 causes of disputation on the selling of indulgences posted on the Whittenberg Castle Church which started the Protestant Reformation.
And, in 1980, Pope John Paul-II (now a Saint) gave a public contrition that Gallileo Gallilei should not have been condemned. (In short, Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (the namestake of this instituition) protected Galileo--then a respected professor and morethe right to publish his theories even though not all of these thesis were yet scientifically proven.) After Bellarmine had died suddenly, Galileo was then accused of heresyby the Curia (composed of mainly Philosophers)-- put on trial and found guilty. As punishment, Galileo lost his professorship priviledges and died a poor blind pauper under house arrest.
(The first US Bishop of Florida, Augustin Verot, went to the Vatican-I council and tried to get the condemnation of Galileo removed but he had failed.) And, that in 1980, Pope John Paul-II made a public contrition that Galileo should never have been condemned.
In the published histories of Bellarmine College 1999 (Wade Hall) and IN VERTATIS AMORE 2017 (Fr. Crews), why was that part of the story, about Pope John Paul-II making a public contrition that Gallileo should not have been condemned, always left out? That is unfortunate because today the public at large should know that the promises of Vatican-IImainly to keep the church modern is still in danger of not being fulfilled. And, today, that the Galileo figure has morphed into a martyr figure from the pew. But Bellarmine-Louisville is not leading the way here either.
Which leads me to conclude that Bellarmine-Louisville would be much better off if the Archbishop of Louisville would not be the Chancellor. That the Bellarmine name for this Univeersity is misleading to the public at large as this instituition is not affiliated with the Jesuit religious order (Bellarmine's religious order). And that the Archdiocesan-Priest professors who wear the roman collar on campus here are not to be confused as Jesuits.
And, to avoid this confusion Bellarmine University's name should be changed to Bellarmine-Galilei so as to make Galileo a permanent fixture and an added patron and partner with Bellarmine.
Because Bellarmine UniversityLouisville, belongs to the unordained! RIP.
Rikki Stearman
March 19, 2018
I had the pleasure of being in one of Dr. Mahoney's classes at Bellarmine and I will never forget the lesson that she taught that was outside of history. She asked the class on the first day of class, how do we want to stand out to prospective employers? She then asks us to write something that made us unique on a piece of paper and pass it to her. I will leave the message I wrote between the two if us but I have shared the sentiment of standing out from the crowd with others many times over. My goodness how Dr. Mahoney stood out from the crowd of professors and instructors I had over the years. Thank you Dr. Mahoney!
bradley champagne
March 19, 2018
Margaret was one of the best professors I had at Bellarmine from 1960-1964. She truly excelled at teaching and was a genuine and human person. There are/were very few like her.
Melanie Votaw
March 19, 2018
Dr. Mahoney was a tough professor, but that didn't deter any of us from loving her dearly. She took me out in London when we were there at the same time, and I interviewed her for the campus newspaper - a story that won me a state award because I had such a colorful subject. I will always remember Dr. Mahoney as one of my favorite professors at Bellarmine. Whenever I see an El Greco painting, I think of her.
Donna Hurtt
March 19, 2018
Sincere sympathies are extended to family and friends in the passing of such a wonderful person , Dr Magaret Mahoney. She was my favorite instructor of all time and made learning history a pleasure, which I thought was not possible. I will always be grateful for having known such a memorable professor.
Donna Hurtt , class of '96
Fred Milne
March 18, 2018
Dr. Mahoney made my Bellarmine experience truly special through her dedication to the Cardinal Sections. Although I was not a history major, I found her lectures always stimulating. As I reflect now, I have only fond memories of Margaret Mahoney. May she Rest In Peace.
Fred Milne
March 18, 2018
Dr. Mahoney made my Bellarmine experience truly special through her dedication to the Cardinal Sections Honors Program. Although I was not a history major, I always found Dr. Mahoney's lectures stimulating. I have only good memories of her. May she Rest In Peace.
March 17, 2018
No one knows your individual pain except your Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus, so please find comfort in His Words at John11:25 and 1Peter5:7. I am very sorry for your loss. Nola Harris
March 17, 2018
I really enjoyed her classes- A fond memory from my time at Bellarmine. Prayers for her family and friends. - Gina Graven Hommrich,'91.
March 17, 2018
My thoughts and prayers are with your family during this difficult time. May the promise in 1 Thessalonians 4:14 comfort your family.
Art Rostel
March 17, 2018
Dr. Mahoney was a real inspiration to me. If it was not for her commending me for doing so well in her freshman Western Civilization class in the fall of 1962 at Bellarmine that I would probably not have changed my major to History. This changed my entire life. I went on to teach high school history for 36 years. My wife and I kept in touch with her by exchanging Christmas cards every year. When I returned to Louisville from New Jersey I would make a point to visit her in her office. Margaret was a legend at Bellarmine and did so much for the school. She knew more about European History than anyone I ever met. My prayers go out to her and her entire family. She was a lovely lady and a true scholar. Her class lectures were so amazing. They will live in my memory forever.
Kathleen Lyons
March 16, 2018
Dr. Mahoney and I were colleagues for 31 years at Bellarmine and best friends as well. We had the privilege of participating in Bellarmine's growth from a men's college to a co-educational institution to a university offering advanced professional degrees. For Dr. Mahoney, the most significant part of this participation was in directing the Cardinal Sections, which committed her to weekly colloquia for each of the four student levels and an annual trip to a large city over Spring break. Bellarmine was her life, and she in turn gave life to Bellarmine through enlightened and generous service. May she rest in peace!
Trudie McManus Dattilo
March 15, 2018
Dr. Mahoney taught me in my first history course at Bellarmine University in 1970. She was a remarkable professor, one of my favorites, and terrified us with her legendary exams! I went on to have a successful teaching career in history and English; I was blessed to have her as part of my educational formation. May she Rest In Peace
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