Mary "Louise" Menk, 91, died August 26, 2018. She studied two years at the University of Montana then finished her degree in Fashion Design at Southern Methodist University. After her husband, John "Jack" D. Irwin, finished his law degree they settled in Billings, MT, where he opened his practice. He was killed in a plane crash in November of 1959.  Louise decided to start a new life the summer of 1962 and moved to Arizona with her two daughters. She designed clothes for shops on 5th Avenue in Scottsdale. Later she obtained a real estate license, landing a job in the mortgage business. The company she worked for was near Dean Witter in downtown Phoenix and she spent her lunch hours watching the ticker tape and nights charting stocks. She and her boss soon determined that her heart was in the stock market, so she resigned from the mortgage business and quickly became a successful investor. She was so successful that the Arizona Republic featured her on the front page as "a woman who conquered the male dominated stock market business". In 1983 she married Louis W. Menk, a leader in the railroad industry. He passed away in 1999.  Throughout Louise's life, she was a philanthropist and volunteer to many organizations including the Desert Foothills Land Trust, Desert Foothills Library, The Heard Museum, and the Foothills Caring Corps. She was a Trustee Emeritus of the Yellowstone Art Museum and served on the Board of Directors at the Crisis Nursery Inc. Arizona. Louise and her husband Lou were passionate about and avid supporters of the Desert Foothills Land Trust from its early days. Louise recognized, encouraged and supported several talented and struggling artists throughout her years. She also set up funds that provided scholarships to students at the University of Montana through the John D. Irwin Jr. Memorial Scholarship, and at ASU through the Louis and Louise Menk Endowed Scholarship in The Hugh Downs School of Human Communication. Mary Louise Menk is survived by two daughters, three grandchildren, seven great grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren. A service has already taken place at Desert Hills Presbyterian on August 31, 2018. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Desert Foothills Land Trust, P.O. Box 4861, Cave Creek, Arizona, 85327 in her memory, or to the nonprofit of your choice. (Source: Arizona Republic)