Phyllis O’Neil

A funeral service for Phyllis O’Neil, 88, of Killdeer will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Killdeer, with Pastor Dorothy Stein officiating. Burial will follow at Oakdale cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5:00 – 7:00 pm on Monday, January 3 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, with a prayer service taking place at 6:00 pm.

For those unable to attend, Phyllis’s services will be livestreamed on the Stevenson Funeral Home website. To access the livestream, click on Phyllis’s obituary and scroll to the bottom of the page. The livestream will begin ten minutes before the start of the service.

Phyllis passed away Wednesday, December 29, 2021 at CHI St. Alexius Health in Dickinson.

Phyllis Jean O’Neil was born on December 10, 1933 in Bismarck, North Dakota to parents Glen and Beatrice (Erickson) Murray. She grew up in the Beulah area graduating from Beulah High School in 1952. Following graduation, she was an avid horse racer, and she worked various jobs until she met Norman O’Neil. The two were married on April 19, 1954 in Beulah. To this union, four children were born – Casey, Tracey, Charlie, and Kelley. Together they raised their family on the O’Neil farm north of Dunn Center. In 1969, they moved to Killdeer. In 1970, Phyllis began working at Farmer’s Union Insurance as their first female agent in the state of North Dakota. She worked there for 35 years, retiring in 2005.

Phyllis loved gardening, cooking, canning, and entertaining visitors. She especially enjoyed happy hour with her friends. She was an avid horse racer in her younger days. Phyllis loved following rodeo, and she cooked thousands of hamburgers at the rodeo grounds over the years. She also enjoyed watching all kinds of sports, whether they were played professionally or by her grandkids. Her grandkids were very important to her, and she loved following all of their activities.

Phyllis was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Killdeer. She was also a member of the Killdeer Saddle Club, the Election Inspector Board, the North Dakota Real Estate Commission, the North Dakota Stockman Association, the Killdeer Booster Club, and a lifetime member of the NDRA. Phyllis was a North Dakota Hall of Fame Trustee and a past city councilman of Killdeer.

She is survived by her children, Casey (Mary) O’Neil of Beulah, Tracey (Bob) Dolezal of Killdeer, Charlie (Becky) O’Neil of Mesa, AZ, and Kelley (Delvin) Dukart of Manning; grandchildren, Jessica Klym, Mathew O’Neil, Dustin Dukart, JD Dolezal, Thomas O’Neil, Becky Buchmann, Dillon Dolezal, Lucas O’Neil, Austen Dolezal, Katie Eggen, John (Angie) Henry, and Wendy Fox; 24 great-grandchildren; her sister, Peggy (Armon) Wolff; her brother, Gary (Marge) Murray; and dear friends, Wes, Dave, Deb, Mitch, Teresa, Russ, and many others.

Phyllis is preceded in death by her parents, Glen and Beatrice; her husband, Norman; special friend, Jim Danks; and an infant sister.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Killdeer Saddle Club, or an organization of your choice.