Here is Mom's obituary...I tried to just find a link for it, but it didn't work. Teresa was the primary author, and I think she did a great job. Anyway, I thought it would be fitting to include this in our blog. Kessler, Phyllis A.
Phyllis A. Kessler, 53, of Belgrade passed away Aug. 24, 2008. She was born March 10, 1955, in Bozeman to George and Thressa (Danhof) Kingma. She loved Jesus. She was beautiful, very gifted and she loved life and everything about it, especially babies, Earl Grey tea and crossword puzzles. Phyllis grew up in Bozeman the eldest daughter of George and Teddy Kingma's five children. After Phyllis graduated from Manhattan Christian High School in 1973 she had planned on refining her natural artistic abilities at an art institute, but she met and fell in love with Fred E. Kessler, a Bozeman native and son of Fritz and Lillian Kessler. He was the love of her life and she his. Together they raised two children, Konrad Lee Kessler, who is training to be a doctor of emergency medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and Teresa Renee Kessler who is working creatively, inspired by her mom, at Shack Up Interior Design Studio in Bozeman. She was very proud of them both. They lived together in Belgrade for 31 years where she worked alongside Fred in their business, Kessler Dairy Supply. Phyllis was a wonderful, dedicated, loving wife and mother, amazing daughter, sister, aunt and friend, and she loved to extend that love to others. She was a volunteer with Love In the Name of Christ, coordinating volunteers from her church with needs in the community. She was also active in Bozeman Christian Reformed Church, teaching Sunday school, leading craft lessons, and hosting small group Bible studies. Every fall she looked forward to the beginning of Bible Study Fellowship where she was able to meet and make new friends and deepen her relationship with her Savior. She enjoyed family time, having fun and laughing, traveling, reading, painting, making jewelry, sewing, skiing, fishing, going on walks with Fred and eating Blizzards. She especially enjoyed spending time at Ennis Lake where God welcomed her home while water skiing on Aug. 24, 2008. She is survived by her husband, Fred; son, Kon and his wife, Stacy; daughter, Teresa; parents, George and Teddy Kingma; siblings, Tom Kingma (Judy), Jan Stehman, Ken Kingma (Sandy), Tammy Marcotte (Jerry) and many nieces and nephews. She touched many lives with her tender heart and will be missed and continually loved by them all. Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 29, at Bozeman Christian Reformed Church, 324 N. Fifth Ave. Visitation at Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Memorials in her name may be made to Love INC, Love In the Name of Christ, P.O. Box 7117, Bozeman 59771.

Sad Happenings...

Since the last update a lot has happened...probably most people who still tune into the blog already know.

On the evening of Sunday, August 24, my family including Mom, Dad, Teresa, Uncle Tom, Aunt Judy, Danielle, and Grandpa and Grandma Kingma were at Ennis Lake. They were having a fun day, it was getting close to dusk and the last opportunity to water ski before BBQ dinner and then heading home. Mom, who is typically quite timid when it comes to water skiing and never (or at least never that I can remember) wants to be the last person to ski, was excited to make one more run. She got up and dropped one ski to be skiing on one. She was skiing, as Teresa told me, with far less fear than she normally has. They were in a canyon heading toward the dam on the lake as it is protected from the wind and typically has smoother water. The norm is to get near the dam and to turn around at a slightly wider part of the canyon. Dad was driving and turned the boat as he always does. Mom went outside the wake and skied too wide beyond the path of the boat. She ran into the rock slide on the edge of the lake and died that day.

I learned of Mom's death late that night after I had gone to bed. Stacy and I contacted our residency programs immediately and flew to MT the next AM. That night was very difficult with much crying, wailing and confused and jumbled thoughts as we tried to get our things packed and to get our house ready to be empty for an unknown period of time. We reached Bozeman by 1pm on the 25th. We spent almost 2 weeks in MT planning the funeral, mourning deeply, and remembering the gift that God had given us in Mom, lovely Phyllis Kessler.

Family, friends, church family, community, and business contacts from Mom and Dad's business were great. I have included in the blog post today some pictures of Mom and a few of our time in Bozeman. I hope you can enjoy and remember Mom with me...

this is Mom at Ennis Lake on a beautiful summer day

this is a picture of Mom with Teresa somewhere in Europe...not sure if this was when Mom and Teresa went to Europe together or if this was when Dad and Mom visited Teresa during her year of school in France

Mom and Dad together, I think somewhere in Italy...don't they look nice together

Mom, Dad, and me in Alaska 3 years ago

during the summer a couple years ago Mom, Dad, and Teresa visited Seattle and we drove over the North Cascades highway



Pictures from our time in Bozeman...just a few

hiking on my birthday to Mt. Blackmore...Stacy, cousin Jeremy, Dad, and Teresa...trying to get at least a little jumping done

preparing for a big jumping pic...little hard to see everyone...L to R: Teresa, cousin Gretchen, cousin Marlo, me, Dad, cousin Eugen, cousin Tucker, cousin Anna, and cousin Heidi

and with all of our feet off the ground! Pretty good!

Mom was great and we will miss her greatly. Please pray for us to continue taking comfort in Mom being home with Jesus in Heaven and that we will be strengthened by God to continue to function while remember Mom and being thankful that God gave her to us for her 53 years of life...God Bless, KON