Jay Ferdina

Jay Ferdina, 55, of Wolf Point, Montana, passed away on November 20, 2025. Born on September 4, 1970, to Ralph and Christie Ferdina, he grew up on the family ranch north of Wolf Point, where his lifelong work ethic and grit were first shaped.

As a child, Jay enjoyed spending time at his grandparents, participated in 4H, and often recalled countless adventures on the ranch with his sisters and the neighbor kids.

He attended Wolf Point High School and graduated as a proud member of the Class of ’89. He loved football, track, and high school rodeo carrying a legacy of competitive spirit into everything he did. After high school, he moved to Miles City to pursue college rodeo. Jay learned to rope as a kid and continued to team rope for years beyond college. He also became an avid pool player and like everything he did he perfected his game and was highly competitive.

While in Miles City, Jay went on to do custom hay work and eventually took a position at LP Anderson’s as an alignment technician. Later transferring to Dana’s Auto Center in Glasgow to be closer to home. After moving on from the tire shop he took his first trucking job working for Zimmerman Trucking and eventually with Culbertson Trucking in Poplar.

After a few years of crossing paths, he finally connected with the woman who would become the love of his life. He married Shelly Loberg in Wolf Point on June 10, 2000. Growing up with three spirited sisters prepared Jay well for arrival of his own daughters. They welcomed their first daughter, Paisley, in 2001, followed by Gracie in 2003. Their daughter Mylie was born in 2008 with severe medical complexities. A journey that brought worry and uncertainty, while revealing the depth of Jay’s tenderness. Mylie grew to absolutely adore her dad. Their family grew again with the arrival of Cambrie in 2015. Jay had his own unique relationship with each daughter, he often had Paisley step in to do “son” like duties, Gracie was his designated barber, Mylie was her dad’s little passenger princess when her health allowed, and Cambrie, the little caboose, came with the wit and spunk that filled Jay’s heart with joy.

Shortly after starting his family, Jay left the trucking industry to begin what ended up as a 10-year career with the Montana State Highway Department. He then felt like it was time to focus on the family ranch. As markets fluctuated and good haying years seem to come and go, in 2015 he felt like it was time to return to trucking once again, this time as an owner and operator. After the purchase of his first Peterbilt, his new trucking pursuit tested him every step of the way. With grit and perseverance, he kept at it, eventually trading hauling grain to hauling cattle locally then expanding into longer hauls. Little by little and with great passion he made several contacts and many more friends, turning his trucking business into something that brought him great pride and success. His trucking career was his craft and his calling.

He worked late into the night, and early in the morning, always with one goal: to provide for his family. His work ethic was unmatched. He completed his runs to the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, and Iowa to return home, do his ranch duties and to be the best dad and husband and partner in caregiving. He understood what it meant to run an operation well and take pride in every detail. He was solid. He was the glue. He was a provider in every sense of the word.

Jay’s most significant strength was his gift for connecting with people; no one was beneath his attention or above his kindness. He was a story teller. It was common for him to make and receive dozens of phone calls in a day, simply because he loved people and was a friend to so, so many.

His passing leaves a hole that cannot be filled. As his daughter wrote, “Although I am lost, and a piece of myself is gone forever, a close second has been seeing the ripple effects of support, care, and kindness from the community he crafted himself through his unconditional display of positive regard for others.” The love and support shown in these days stand as a testament to the man he was and the community he built through his generosity, humor, and genuine heart.

There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do and wouldn’t do for his family and friends. There will never be another quite like him.

He is survived by his loving wife, Shelly; his daughters Paisley, Gracie, Mylie, and Cambrie; his parents Ralph and Christie Ferdina; sisters Wendy (Shane) Mintz, Jill Ferdina, Jana (Josh) Bilbrey, and several nieces and nephews, countless friends, neighbors, and community members who loved him. He is preceded in death by brother Rodney, and his beloved Grandparents, Melvin and Marie Ferdina and Tony and Shirley Visser.

His legacy lives on in the land he worked, the people he cared for, and the family he devoted his life to. Roll on, cowboy. Roll on.