Winnie Fay Borgialli passed away in Billings, Montana, on October 18, 2015, with family and friends at her side.
Services will be on Thursday, October 22, in Buffalo, Wyoming. There will be a viewing at the Harness Funeral Home, from 8 a.m.-11 a.m. The Funeral service will be held at St. Luke's Episcopal Church at 1:00 p.m., with interment to follow at Willow Grove. A celebration of life will be held at the Occidental Hotel, beginning at 2:30 p.m. Please join us to share your stories of Winnie there.
In lieu of flowers, please contribute to the nursing school or charity of your choice. And the next time a nurse is taking good care of you, please think of Winnie.
Winnie was the born on January 21, 1935, the only daughter of David and Thelma Huff, in Upton, Wyoming, She was proud of her heritage, since her great-grandparents had homesteaded in Wyoming . When she told you she had ridden through deep snow ten miles to school on horseback it was true.
The family moved to Sheridan, Wyoming, where she graduated from Sheridan High School in 1953. She moved to Rochester, Minnesota, for nursing school. Winnie graduated from the Methodist-Kahler School of Nursing in 1957, and the Mayo Clinic School of Anesthesia in 1960.
She married Jim Lehnherr in Rochester in 1955; they were later divorced. Together they had two children, Kathleen Ely and David Lehnherr.
Winnie worked for many years as a nurse anesthetist in Montana and Wyoming, often on call 24/7, in a time when there were no cell phones or pagers.
In 1993, on horseback up in the Big Horns, she married her high school sweetheart and the love of her life, Jim Borgialli. Her main interests were her family first, then home, friends, travel, reading, music, flowers, and children.
She is survived by her husband, Jim, daughter, Kathleen (Wayne Jepson), son, David, grandsons Toffer, Kevin, and Zen, and great-grandchildren, Alice and Anders, with another great-granddaughter due November 2, in addition to her step family, Jim Buzan and Gary Buzan. Her brother, Bob Huff, also survives her, plus nieces, nephews, cousins, and their families; she was particularly close to her nephew, Rory Huff, and her niece, Ramona Phillips, who treated her like a mother and she embraced them as her own.
She was preceded in death by her parents, David and Thelma Huff, and her stepdaughter, Rhonda Borgialli.
Her genuine smile, the love and care for others shined in her eyes, which is what made her so special and precious to our hearts. Being around her made people feel happy and grateful, because people like her have a gift to make our lives better.
Arrangements are in the care of the staff at Dahl Funeral Chapel, Billings, MT and Harness Funeral Home, Buffalo, WY.
Memories may be shared at www.dahlfuneralchapel.com and/or www.harnessfuneralhome.com
SheridanMedia.com - Oct. 21, 2015.