Phyllis L. Sethre was born on August 10, 1945, in Williston, ND to Oscar and Lucille Olson. She passed away peacefully on December 13, 2023, in Billings, MT.
Phyllis was raised on a farm north of Culbertson, MT and attended the McCabe Country School until the 6th grade. Her family then moved to Sidney, MT and she graduated from Sidney High School in 1963.
After a brief time as a social worker, she graduated from Montana State University with a degree in farm and ranch management. Encouraged by her father Oscar, she began her career in Great Falls, MT at Northwestern Bank. She was the first woman hired in Montana as a farm loan interviewer.
In the winter of 1977, she met Gary Sethre in Great Falls, and they were married six months later. They returned to his family farm north of Wolf Point and together they built and enjoyed a successful farming operation for the next 45 years. During this time, she also acquired her real estate appraisal license and opened Sethre Appraisal Services. Appraising took her across northeastern Montana and she thoroughly enjoyed the work, meeting people and mentoring young appraisers. To honor her contributions, this spring the Montana Chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers established the “John E. Wicks and Phyllis L. Sethre Memorial Endowment Scholarship” at Montana State University. The scholarship will help the next generation get started in ag-related careers.
Phyllis believed in volunteering in her community. She invested her time in many organizations including 4-H, the Roosevelt Country Fair Board, the Montana Republican Party, First Lutheran Church, American Legion Auxiliary, and the Theodore Roosevelt Foundation. She was honored to be named Grand Marshall of the Wild Horse Stampede in 2019 along with her husband.
She loved to be on the road for work and pleasure. Gary and Phyllis enjoyed many trips to Medora, North Dakota, Hostfest in Minot, North Dakota and spending time in Oregon to see her grandson’s school and sports activities.
Phyllis was survived by her husband, Gary Sethre, Wolf Point, MT; daughter Heather (Jacob) Stefanik and grandson Luke, Beaverton, OR; brother Peter (Donna) Olson, Culbertson, MT; brother Steve (Monica) Olson, Kannapolis, NC; brother Mitch Olson, Sidney, MT; and many dear friends and family including Lora Davis who she considered a sister.
She was preceded in death by her parents and sisters-in-law Carol (Sethre) Pomeroy and Joan Olson.
The family has appreciated the many letters, messages and phones calls and the memories that were shared of Phyllis’ kindness, her quick wit and wisdom, and the mark she left on their lives.