Gail Jean (Klingensmith) Chinn, 79, Grassy Butte, died Tuesday, January 9, 2024, surrounded by family and friends in Elephant Butte, New Mexico.
A Celebration of Life Service for Gail will be at held at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 23, 2024, with visitation beginning at 1:00 p.m., at Ladbury Funeral Service in Dickinson, North Dakota, with Rev. Roy Chrisman officiating.
Gail was born in Cherokee County, Iowa on March 5, 1944, daughter of Rex Klingensmith and Elma (Nafe) Klingensmith. She was the 4th of 4 children. She was the last senior class of Grand Meadow High School, Grand Meadow, Iowa in 1961. After high school she went on to graduate from Stewarts School of Beauty in Sioux City.
Gail married Roger in Grand Meadow on January 14, 1962. They had two children, Tamara Lee was born in 1964, followed by their son, Bradly Roger in 1967.
In 1968, Roger and Gail saw an opportunity and moved their family to a ranch south of Grassy Butte. Here the Chinn family grew to thrive in western North Dakota. The ranch has been the Chinn home for almost 56 years and will continue with son Brad and the generations to come.
Gail believed you needed to get involved and be part of the community. She was a 4-H Leader, active in the Grassy Butte Homemakers Club, the Grassy Butte Community Club, served as an EMT and taught CPR classes. In 1983, she was named ND Cattlewoman of the year.
She always supported beef and agriculture, and the western way of life. This was so true with her XR Stamp company, unable to find the wildlife, horse, cows, etc stamps she wanted, she wrote to stamp companies asking for them, and in several cases, she designed a few. She held workshops and had a booth at the Rapid City Stock Show for many years. In more recent years she took over the management and responsibility of the Historical Grassy Butte Post Office Museum.
Gail and Roger loved to travel. They pulled their 5th Wheel camper up the Alaskan Highway twice, floated down the Rio Grande in New Mexico and the Niobrara River in Nebraska. Trips to Pendleton, Oregon and Yuma, Arizona to see and enjoy the massive agricultural crops being harvested. In 2009, they began wintering in Elephant Butte, New Mexico. Upon Roger’s death in 2020, Gail continued to spend her winters in Elephant Butte with her daughter and son-in-law in her second home, a western “Bunkhouse”, playing cards, shuffleboard, and watching her birds.
Gail is survived by her daughter Tami Chrisman (Roy) of Elephant Butte, and her son Brad Chinn (Jodi) of Grassy Butte; 10 grandchildren – Janice, Bobby, Lauren, Trace and Tori; and Tel, Kelli, Konner, Katelin, and Dale; along with 6 great-grandchildren.
