Phyllis Jean Ohrmann

Phyllis Ohrmann, age 100, of Drummond passed away in the early morning hours of November 4, 2023, at Granite County Medical Center Long Term Care. She was one of the last of her generation to grace the Flint Creek Valley, those women whose steady presence and commitment to the next generation shaped and enriched so many lives.

Phyllis was born on a snowy day February 16, 1923, to Lyle and Virgil Sliter in a farmhouse near Hewitt, Minnesota.  The doctor travelled by horse-drawn sleigh to deliver her, put his horse up in the barn and stayed until the blizzard was over and Phyll was born. She joined brother Bob and grew up in a fun-loving family surrounded by cousins and friends in a close-knit farming community.  Growing up on a farm during the depression instilled a quiet strength, self-reliance, and sense of humor that served her (and many like her) well the rest of her life.

Following graduation from Wadena High School, Phyll attended Moorhead State Teachers College, then taught at various country schools in Central Minnesota, often boarding with nearby families. One night after walking home in the snow she discovered her suitcase sitting at the end of their long driveway with a note attached. Her host family had diphtheria and she would need to find different lodgings. Phyll trudged through the snow for three miles on an unplowed road until she came to the home of a cousin who took her in.

Summers were often spent travelling.  Phyll made butter at a factory in Wisconsin to aid the war effort, travelled by train to Washington DC one summer and to the West Coast another.  One summer she stayed with a cousin in Spokane and worked as a waitress. It was here that she met her future husband, Bill Ohrmann, who was visiting family while on leave from the Army Air Corps.

The two married in 1948 and settled into life on an Angus ranch near Drummond.  Her new home lacked indoor plumbing and she cooked on a woodstove but had no complaints.  Phyll taught first grade at Drummond for 3 years until starting a family.  (Susan, Jane, and John) Her children’s lives were full of outdoor play, books, music, nature, and animals.

Mom accomplished much but made it look easy: caring for several generations of family, working on the ranch, doing the bookwork for their operation and area bull sales, growing a spectacular flower and vegetable garden, canning and freezing, sewing clothes for her daughters late into the night, community involvement - PTA, 4-H, Hall Methodist Women, playing the piano for Sunday School, Cattlewomen, library board, book club.  Her delicious meals, hospitality, and meaningful conversations around the kitchen table are favorite memories of relatives and friends.   She made everyone feel welcome.

Phyll’s support of Bill’s art enabled him to pursue his dreams.   She helped ready the art for shows, set up displays, fed countless guests, and designed the Ohrmann Museum and Gallery that holds the Ohrmann paintings and sculptures.  Phyll’s hard work behind the scenes gave Bill time to create.

After Bill passed in 2014 Phyll continued to run the gallery and greet visitors, staying active, reading mysteries (including all of Agatha Christie’s books at age 99), and writing thoughtful letters.

Phyllis is preceded in death by her husband, Bill, parents Lyle and Virgil, brother, Bob Sliter, and daughter Jane Hultman. She is survived by daughter Susan (Randy) Peterson of Drummond, son John (Myrlin) of Drummond, grandchildren Callie (Peter) Klempay of Stafford, VA, Ty Hultman of Drummond; and great-grand children Joey Klempay, Reagan Klempay, Hanna Hultman and Haylee Hultman, along with beloved nieces, nephews and friends.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests making a donation in Phyll’s name to Friends of the Drummond Library (PO Box 266, Drummond, MT  59832) or Granite Spay Neuter Project (82 Mile High Trail, Hall, MT  59837) No services are planned but in Mom’s memory be kind to a person or animal, read a good book, feed the birds. As Mom would say, the list goes on.

Please visit the sidebar to offer the family a condolence or to share a memory of Phyllis.

Longfellow Finnegan Riddle Funeral Home and Cremation Services has been privileged to care for Phyllis and her family.