Jerri Frislie

Jerri Lynn Smoker Frislie, “One who gives many painted horses” or “Her many painted horses,” 69, died Dec. 23, 2024, at Trinity Hospital in Wolf Point.

She was born Oct. 12, 1955, to Kenneth and Theresa (Steele) Smoker. She was joined by brother Kenneth Jr., sister Karen Rose and brother John Rocky. She and her siblings grew up in Poplar, but lived in San Francisco, Calif., and Havre for a brief time. She attended Poplar High School, graduating in 1974. She ran cross country and made it to the state level competition.

After high school, she joined the United States Coast Guard during Vietnam and proudly served her country for four years. She attended Mohegan and Thomas Nelson Community Colleges on the East Coast.

She met and married fellow Coast Guardsman Harold Bashay Jr. in 1975 to 1981. They had two children Harold Kenneth “Mikey” Bashay III and Yvonne Marie Bashay. After moving back home, she married Terry Boyd Sr. in 1982. From this 11-year marriage, they had two sons, Terry Lee Boyd Jr. and Brian Scott Boyd. They farmed and ranched.

She attended Fort Peck Community College. She worked for the Wotanin Wowapi, Environmental Protection Program, Fort Peck Tribal Courts and the Fort Peck Tribal Chairman’s Office. She also taught catechism and confirmation classes at St. Thomas in Brockton and Our Lady of Lourdes in Poplar.

She began her career with the United States Postal Service in 1984. She worked in various locations including Poplar, Plentywood, Circle, Nashua, Colstrip, Lame Deer, Forsyth and Wolf Point. She worked her way from clerk to postmaster in her 35 years with the USPS.

She met and married Roger Frislie in 2006. They were together until his death in 2015. After her retirement, she took up beading, sewing and crafting Native American regalia. She would often travel to Billings to see her son Terry and would occasionally travel to Las Vegas, Nev., and Dallas,