April 10, 1930 – February 24, 2020
In Father’s own words: “For a Christian to live in this world in fidelity to Jesus Christ preparing to meet Him in the next world is primary. The more so for a Catholic priest, whether it is noted in an obituary or not. This factor should influence all that a Christian does.”
Fr. Stephen Tallman was born April 10, 1930 in Ponca City, Oklahoma, the oldest of the six children of James E. Tallman and Margaret (Shute) Tallman. He attended St. Mary’s Elementary and High School in Ponca City, graduating in 1948. After studying Mechanical Engineering at Oklahoma State University, he entered St. John’s Seminary in San Antonio, Texas, studying for the Catholic Priesthood. Working for relatives in Montana drew him to Big Sky Country. He completed his studies for the Priesthood in St. Paul, Minnesota, and was ordained May 23, 1959 as a Priest for the Diocese of Helena, Montana.
From 1959 until retirement in 2000 he served in various Parishes in Western Montana as Associate or as Pastor including: Immaculate Conception Parish and St. John the Evangelist Parish in Butte, St. Peter Parish in Anaconda, Immaculate Conception Parish in Deer Lodge and Chaplain to Montana State Prison, Little Flower Parish in Browning; St. Francis Parish in Valier. The last nine years before retirement Fr. Tallman served as Pastor of St. Mary’s Parish in Stevensville, Montana. As long as health permitted, he continued to serve on weekends in Parishes without Priests, and he offered his last Mass six days before his death.
He is survived by one brother, James Tallman of New Braunfels, TX, and a sister, Mary Ellen (Tallman) Rachec, of Kerrville, TX.
A Vigil Service was held Tuesday, March 3, 2020 at Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home, 3750 N. Montana Ave. A Funeral Mass was held on Wednesday, March 4, 2020 at the Cathedral of St. Helena, 530 N. Ewing St., with burial following the Mass at Resurrection Cemetery. A reception followed the burial in the Brondel Center of the Cathedral, 530 N. Ewing St. Please visit www.aswfuneralhome.com to offer a condolence to the family or to share a memory of Fr. Tallman.