SALLY ANN (SKILLESTAD) COBERLY-PEABODY
Dec. 31, 1946–March 31, 2026
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away … a beautiful baby girl was born to two wonderful parents, Adrian and Hazel Skillestad (her words, remember, she had Yoda for her license plate!).
Actually, it was Dec. 31, 1946, in Glendive, Montana. Sally Ann Skillestad joined siblings Shirley, Janet, Faye, and James (Jim). When she was 3 years old, Hazel passed away. She would later gain a new mother, Marie, along with two new siblings, Stan and Norma. They all lived on the family farm in rural Dawson County, Montana. Sally attended the one-room Union School until the eighth grade. She then went to town to attend Dawson County High School in Glendive, graduating in 1965.
After attending Eastern Montana College in Billings, Montana, for a year, she moved with two friends to live in Denver, Colorado. Living in downtown Denver was quite a change from the family farm. She said that she could touch the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception with her hand from the open window in her apartment.
In Denver, she met Frank Coberly. They were married on May 31, 1969, in Glendive. Two years later, they added to their family with the birth of their son, Clark. Four years after that, they added Drew to the crew.
In 1982, the family moved to Upton, Wyoming. Sally worked at the hospital and Weston County Public Health until she retired from the hospital one day before her 70th birthday, in 2016.
Frank went to prepare a place for her in Heaven in 1996.
On June 24, 2001, she married Art Peabody. In doing so, she gained a son, Kenten, and two daughters, Galene and Channa. Sally and Art kept busy keeping track of grandkids and taking care of their herd of cats.
Speaking of cats, growing up on a farm, she took on a St. Francis of Assisi love for animals. Sally loved pets. The family had a dog when the boys were young, and there were always some cats around. She loved her cats!
Sally was a member of St. Anthony Catholic Church and was a member of the Secular Franciscan Order. Her faith and love of God were the foundation of her life, and she was a witness to Jesus Christ’s love throughout her life. Her greatest gift was finding God in all things and loving others as Christ loved her, especially those who may have been a bit more difficult to love. Sally truly embodied Christ’s command to “love one another as I have loved you.”
Sally fought a courageous battle with cancer and on March 31, 2026, passed to eternity.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Adrian, Hazel, and Marie; her husband, Frank; two infant children, William Frank and Adrianne Marie; sisters, Shirley (Don) Berkey, Janet (Herb) Sharbono, Faye (Bob) Scheitlin, Norma (Harry) Green; brother, Stan Bidleman; son, Kenten Peabody; grandson, Terry Fuhrman; sister-in-law, Cora Coberly; nieces, Lisa Skillestad, Shelley Jonas, and Linda Coberly; and nephew, Kevin Green.
She is survived by her husband Arthur; sons, Clark (Lara) of Upton, along with Annika of Vermillion, South Dakota, and Aidan of Annapolis, Maryland; Drew (Elaine) and Connor and Matthew of Round Rock, Texas; daughters, Galene (Raymond) Herndon with Aulaura, Channa (Marc) Fuhrman with Taylor and Isabella Fuhrman, and Brody Peabody, great-grandchildren, Ben and Dorrean Ford, all of Miles City, Montana; grandson, Garrett Peabody of Billings, Montana; brother, Jim (Pat) Skillestad of Glendive, Montana; sister-in-law Sharon Bidleman of Billings, Montana; brother-in-law Jim Coberly of Sterling,; and a wealth of nieces, nephews, friends, and former co-workers.
A viewing will be held on April 5, beginning at 3 p.m. at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Upton, with a Rosary Service at 6. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at the Upton/Elementary School’s Boal Auditorium on Monday, April 6, at 10:30 a.m. Interment will be on April 7 at Dawson Memorial Park in Glendive, beginning with a viewing at 9 a.m. with graveside service at 10.
Condolences may be sent to the family in care of Meridian Mortuary, 111 S. Railway Ave, Newcastle, WY 82701 or expressions of sympathy may also be made online at meridianmortuary.com.