Kristi Pish

Kristi Pish (Jones), passed away at her home on March 22, 2020 in Billings, Montana at the age of 55, after a courageous three-year fight with ovarian cancer. She was surrounded by her family in love and peacefully left us on angel's wings. Kristi was born on March 23, 1964 in Scobey, Montana to Ron and Geri Jones of Peerless, Montana. From the time she was little, she balanced being very driven to do her best with a kind and caring heart for others. For example, she was one of the few girls that not only played little league baseball, but also was her team's best pitcher. True to her caring nature, she would tip her cap and give a wink to each boy she struck out! She graduated from Peerless High School in 1982 and continued to excel in whatever she put her mind to. She attended Kinman Business College in Spokane and graduated with honors on the Dean's List. After getting her degree she moved to Billings and began working in the insurance industry for the next 30 years. She continued to gain more experience in the industry and ultimately purchased her own business, Healthcare Insurers of Montana, a division of The Doctors Company. Again, Kristi set herself apart as a strong and compassionate businessperson. Because of the serious progression of her cancer, she recently decided to retire and sell her business. Kristi lived her life, doing the “next right thing in love,” each and every day. For those that were blessed to know her, it became clear pretty quickly that FAMILY was everything to her. While large family gatherings can cause some to be stressed out, the more family in her midst, the more her heart was filled with love. As a result, she was always planning the next family gathering. If you were a friend of Kristi's, you were family. She treasured the love of her friendships and cared deeply for her large network of friends. When you spent time with Kristi, she had a way of making you feel you were the most important person in her life at that moment...and that was because you were. Kristi was an accomplished quilter and cherished the time she spent with her quilting network of friends. One of the ways she enjoyed expressing her love for her family and friends was to pour her energies into the creation of a quilt and then giving the quilt to someone in love. Generosity and giving of herself to others were not a chore or a challenge for Kristi. It truly came naturally to her and she didn't know any other way of living her life. Perhaps that is what all of us can do to best show our respects to Kristi; be a little more patient, a little more kind, and a little more loving to everyone that crosses our path. In her honor, maybe we can do “the next right thing in love” during each and every one of OUR days too. Kristi is survived by her parents, Ron and Geri Jones of Billings, Montana; her loving husband Steve of Billings, Montana; sister Valarie (Kirk) Carlson of Boise, Idaho; and two brothers, Jim Jones of Scobey, Montana and Jeff (Sally) Jones of Sheridan, Wyoming; and two step-children, Brandon and Jenna Pish from Portland, Oregon. Kristi never gave birth to children of her own, but her nieces and nephews were her kids too. They are Cody (Lindsay) Carlson of Boise, Idaho; Ciara (Matt) Carter of Visalia, California; Samantha Jones of Scobey, Montana; and Zoie and Truman Jones of Sheridan, Wyoming. She also loved dearly her great nieces Kaiya, Layla, and Rose and will be sending her love from Heaven for Baby Otto soon to be born. Cremation has taken place and a memorial service will take place in June. Information on this will be announced at a later date. The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses who cared for Kristi the past three years. Also, to the friends and family that helped care for Kristi, particularly during the last weeks and months, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. In lieu of flowers, please do “the next right thing in love” to those in your life each day.