Lou Ann Phillips, 91

Lou Ann (Scott) Phillips passed away March 23, 2026, in the evening at St. Luke Extended Care in Ronan with her daughter by her side.

She was born at her aunt Carrie’s home in Rapid City, S.D., on July 14, 1934, delivered by her aunt Minnie who was a midwife. She had two older brothers when she arrived, and two younger sisters would be born later.

Starting out on the Pine Ridge Reservation, Lou Ann’s family lived in various places in and around Rapid City while she was growing up. She rode her horse to country schools and boarded in Rapid City for high school, graduating in 1952 Magna Cum Laude at age 17.

She married Jim Phillips on July 16, 1952, two days after her 18th birthday. She met Jim in grade school while he was working for her dad.

Jim was drafted three months later, and she lived with her parents while he was in Korea. She was always a hard worker and helped her parents’ foster children, gardened, and had other jobs while Jim was at war for two years.

When he returned home, they began a family with their son, Ed, born in 1955 and daughter Jeanne in 1959.

A car wreck in 1968 left her partially paralyzed. After neck surgery and during recovery she rediscovered her love for art and began painting in earnest. After recovery she continued painting and teaching art classes at schools, home and in the community. Meanwhile, she worked on the ranch in part, loving to ride her horses.

They moved to Montana in the spring of 1985 and she began teaching in the schools up and down the valley in art as well as offering workshops in her home.

After Jim passed on in April of 2009, she continued painting, matting and framing in her studio. She sold her farm and bought land near St. Ignatius, living there until November 2022. She then resided at St. Luke, enjoying her time there.

She is survived by son Ed Phillips of St. Ignatius and daughter Jeanne (Roger) Tauck, Ronan; sister-in-law Liz Westgate, Concord, N.H.; and numerous nieces and nephews, and great nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Jim, daughter-in-law Trina, parents Ed and Lena (Heindrich) Scott, brothers Walter and Duane, and sisters Mary Halloway and Lois Quinn.

She loved the Lord and was a member of the First Baptist Church in Polson where a memorial has been established to the youth ministries.

A visitation will be held at The Lake Funeral Home in Polson on Monday, March 30, from 2-5 p.m. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, March 31, at  1 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Polson with burial to follow at the Ronan Cemetery. Services will be livestreamed through the church.

Please visit lakefuneralhomeandcremation.com to share a memory or offer a condolence to the family. Arrangements are under the care of The Lake Funeral Home and Crematory.