Sally McIntosh
July 13, 1946 - December 26, 2022
Obituary
Sally McIntosh died peacefully at her home in Billings on December 26, 2022, surrounded by her family. She was born in Billings, Montana on July 13, 1946, to Jacqueline and Joseph McIntosh. Growing up in the wonderful neighborhood of 2227 Spruce Street meant lots of kids to play with. During the summers, nightly kick-the-can games were followed by walks under the watchful eye of Buck Crowley to enjoy ice cream at the Milky Way. The grown-ups sat outside on their porches and visited while the kids played until bedtime.
Sally started school at Kate Fratt Memorial Grade School and graduated from Billings Central High School in 1964. She was a cheerleader, president of the Future Teachers of America, Homecoming Queen, and lead actress in the senior play, “I Remember Mama”.
In 1968 Sally earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Montana. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma and President of the Associated Women Students during her junior year. Following graduation, Sally moved to Long Island for her first year of a ten-year teaching career. Employed by “Students Abroad” in the summer of 1969, she assisted in leading a group of college students through Western Europe. In the fall of 1969, she moved to Berkeley, CA where she taught at the Bentley School in the Oakland Hills until 1971. While there, Sally enrolled at San Francisco State College in their Art History graduate program.
On her return to Billings in 1972, she married Branger Miller, and moved to beautiful Absarokee for five years, but later they divorced. Her first child, Morgan Elizabeth, was born in Billings in 1973. The family moved to Boston in 1980, where her son, Peter Angus was born in 1983. Sally moved into an eight-year School Administration career while employed as the Director of Student Services at the North Bennet Street School, a school dedicated to the education of fine craftsmanship in the North End of Boston.
In 1989, after the passing of her brother Bill, she returned to her hometown of Billings to operate the McIntosh Art Company founded by Bill in 1976. The business was located on Grand Avenue until she moved it back to Montana Avenue. In addition to the fine art and graphic design retail/wholesale business, she added the Bill McIntosh Gallery which featured more than 100 different art exhibits of local and regional artists. She became an active member of the art community. The Yellowstone Art Museum honored Sally by naming her Volunteer of the Year in 2013, and Educator of the Year in 2019. She served on the boards of the Billings Depot, Big Brothers and Sister of Yellowstone County, and the East Rosebud Lake Association. Sally served as president of the ArtWalk from 2006-2014. She was the founder and director of the Summer Art Academy, a weeklong summer art camp for young artists ages 8-14, which ran from 2000-2019. In 2010 Sally was named Director of the Ryniker-Morrison Galley at Rocky Mountain College and also taught a class there on “How to Run a Gallery”. In 2016 she became the Adult Program Coordinator at the Yellowstone Art Museum where she directed the adult art education program that included taking art classes to the Montana Women's Prison. In September of 2022, at The Night at the Yellowstone Art Museum Gala, the evening honored Sally, a former YAM Art Educator whose dedication to art, students, and the YAM has inspired countless members of our community.
Sally is survived by her daughter, Morgan Elizabeth (Daniel) Warthin of Bozeman; son, Dr. Peter Miller of New York City; dear brothers, Dr. Tom (Sandra) McIntosh of Cedar Rapids, IA, and Joe (Meg) McIntosh of Seattle, WA; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Judy, brother Bill, and daughter Whitney.
A Celebration of a Well-lived Life will be at Dahl Funeral Chapel in Billings, Montana, on January 7, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. A reception will follow at the YAM. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the McIntosh Art Company Scholarship at the Yellowstone Art Museum, https://www.artmuseum.org/ or call 406-256-6804.
A note from Morgan and Peter: For those who saw previous erroneous obituaries of Sally, please know that this one is real.