Brenna Kay (Billingsley) Sundby of Glasgow, Montana, passed away on Saturday, September 26, 2020 at her home on the Billingsley Ranch, from complications of her 3 year battle with Ovarian Cancer.
Brenna was born in Glasgow, Montana, on April 25, 1976 to Barry and Martha (Jurich) Billingsley. She attended Glasgow schools and graduated from Glasgow High School class of 1994, where she met the love of her life, Wade O. Sundby. While in High School, Brenna loved to play in the band, and she excelled in the classroom. Her excitement in school led her to become a very passionate educator.
After graduation Brenna headed off to College, first at MSU Northern in Havre, Montana then the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana, where she earned her English teaching degree. She went on to earn her Master’s degree from MSU-Northern. One of Brenna’s greatest passions was teaching and she went on to have life long friendships with many of her former students and staff. Brenna, not only taught students English curriculum, she also taught her students and colleagues how to be better people. Just recently a colleague reached out to Brenna to ask for advice about hope. Brenna’s response was:
“I’ve been making lists in my head of places I see hope. I’ve been trying to prioritize and pick the best examples. All of them boil down to people being nice to each other. Hope isn’t found in rallies, mobs, or arenas as much as hope is found in individuals and small partnerships. Any hope found in a classroom, a gym, or a convention only comes from individuals being kind to each other…I will try to simplify it as much as possible: be nice. I see hope in people being nice to each other.” ~~Brenna K. Sundby
Brenna and Wade were married April 17th, 1999 at the Methodist Church in Glasgow, Montana. Together Brenna and Wade began their teaching career in Gallup, New Mexico, once the school year ended they came back home to Montana. They taught and lived in many rural Montana towns including Hinsdale, Absarokee, Fromberg, Big Timber, Plentywood and Saco before returning to Glasgow. Brenna and Wade loved living in these communities and supported the local sports teams, many of which Wade coached. They made many long lasting friendships wherever they lived.
Brenna loved spending her summers boating, swimming and camping, especially at Fort Peck Lake with her family and friends. She also enjoyed traveling, reading and writing.
Brenna is survived by her loving husband Wade O. Sundby of 21 years; parents Barry and Martha (Jurich) Billingsley; brothers, Christopher (Caroline) Billingsley and Evan Billingsley; mother-in-law, Linda Sundby; brother-in-law, Myles (Jennifer) Sundby; 3 nieces, 2 nephews, aunts, uncles, many cousins and numerous friends.
A celebration of Brenna’s life will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 3rd at the Billingsley Ranch in Glasgow, Montana. Condolences for the family maybe left at bellmortuaryglasgow.com.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Brenna’s name can be made to the Glasgow High School Education Trust or the Pioneer Museum in Glasgow, Montana.