Jay Ferdina, 55, died Nov. 20, 2025, at Trinity Hospital in Wolf Point.
Born Sept. 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, he enjoyed spending time at his grandparents, participated in 4H and often recalled countless adventures on the ranch with his sisters and the neighbor youth.
He attended Wolf Point High School and graduated with 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. He learned to rope as a child 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, he did custom hay work and eventually took a position at LP Anderson’s as an alignment technician and later transfered 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.
He married Shelly Loberg in Wolf Point on June 10, 2000. Growing up with three spirited sisters prepared him 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. Their family grew again with the arrival of Cambrie in 2015. He had his own unique relationship with each daughter.
Shortly after starting his family, he 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 returned 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.
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.
His 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 many.
He is survived by his wife, Shelly; daughters, Paisley, Gracie, Mylie and Cambrie; parents, Ralph and Christie Ferdina; sisters, Wendy Mintz, Jill Ferdina and Jana Bilbrey.
He is preceded in death by brother, Rodney.
Funeral services were held Saturday, Nov. 29, at First Lutheran Church in Wolf Point. Interment was at Greenwood Cemetery. Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel was entrusted with arrangements.
