Karen Lynn Proff

Karen Lynn (Simonich) Proff, 57, of Great Falls, a hairdresser, died of cancer Saturday at a local hospital.
A gathering for friends and family is 1 p.m. Saturday at Schnider Funeral Home.
After a long and courageous battle with cancer, Karen passed away with family by her side on the evening of Feb. 27, 2010.
The third of nine children, Karen was born Sept. 22, 1952, to Francis "Babe" and Ruth Simonich in Butte. She attended St. John Catholic Elementary School in Butte until the age of 13. The family moved to Great Falls, where they built a house in the new Mountain View subdivision to accommodate her six brothers and two sisters. Karen attended school at East Junior High and graduated from Great Falls High School in 1970.
After high school, and a brief time in community college, Karen spent several years working for the Tracy Co. On a night out in early 1974, a random stranger approached Karen to introduce her to a friend of his. This "friend" turned out to be Fred Proff. In August of that same year, Fred and Karen were married. After a year of living on a farm/ranch on the west side of Dutton, daily commutes to the city prompted a permanent move to Great Falls.
In the spring of 1977, a son, Josh, was born. A growing family and close proximity to a busy train track prompted a move to the south side of Great Falls. Late fall of 1978 saw the arrival of a daughter, Heather.
Two babies and a stay-at-home lifestyle led Karen to create an in-home daycare.
Several years later, with the kids starting school and the need for a daycare no longer present, she attended and graduated from cosmetology school. After working for many years in the industry, including owning her own salon, Karen settled in as the bookkeeper for Hair Mechanics warehouse. This is where she spent the remainder of her life, working alongside her daughter and one of her best friends.
Karen was the type of person who could find joy doing anything. She got along with just about everyone and it was hard to find her without a smile on her face. A great sense of humor, a rather vocal demeanor, and a laugh that usually included a snort were always in great abundance. Be it her chosen profession or caring personality, she could carry any conversation, and was therefore the person everyone could turn to when they needed to talk.
She was a strong woman with a generous, loving and motherly attitude toward all. The most honest person one could ever meet, Karen could also be stubborn, opinionated, and direct when it came to fulfilling the needs of those near and dear to her.
Family was incredibly precious to her. She was a devoted wife to husband Fred; loving mother to Josh and Heather; adoring mother-in-law to Heather; doting grandmother to Dexter; caring sister to Sharlene, Gary, Wayne, Debra, Randy, David, Robin and Doug; warm-hearted niece and cousin to a huge extended family; and a friend to all who graced her presence.
Karen was a woman with many hobbies, interest, and talents. She was an avid reader, puzzle-assembler and solver, seamstress, cook, cake decorator, cosmetologist and bookkeeper, among many other pastimes. She could often be found up in the mountains and nearby streams, gold-panning and camping with her husband. Her favorite camping spot from childhood on was Alice Creek near Lincoln. She greatly enjoyed yearly trips to Las Vegas with either her friend Pam or husband Fred. Karen was pleased to be accompanied by her family on her final trip to Las Vegas.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Babe and Ruth Simonich; and by her sister/best friend, Debra Graham.
Memorials may be made to the Sletten Cancer Institute or the American Cancer Society.
Condolences may be posted online at www.schniderfuneralhome.com and/or www.gftribune.com/obituaries.