Kristi Lynn Lensegrav-Birkeland left this world on January 10th, 2026. Though she fought like mad to stay with us, we picture her now on her favorite horse, Walsh, riding the hills, visiting the cows, and marveling at a technicolor sunset that defies earthly language.
Celebration of Kristi’s life will be Friday, January 16, 2026 at the Dupree School at 10:30 a.m. MT. Rev. Shawn Olsen will officiate. Visitation will be on Thursday, January 15, 2026 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. MT followed by a Gathering of Family and Friends at 7:00 p.m. MT all at the Dupree School Gym.
But this isn’t about Kristi’s death. This is about how she lived – like a walking contradiction in the best way: equal parts pixie dust and ‘don’t test me’”.
Kristi made her entrance into the world on Oct. 6, 1970, to proud parents Dave and Rhonda Lensegrav of Meadow, SD. She joined older brother Ken and later welcomed two more brothers, Jesse and Taylor. Kristi’s grade school and middle school days were spent at Progress Country School. She then attended Lemmon High School graduating in 1988.
Kristi grew up a cowgirl. Her rodeo career started around five years old when she competed in PeeWee Rodeos at Black Horse Arena in Athboy.
She learned to ride on a medium-sized pony named Dixie that her mom had once owned and ridden. Kristi was an all-around hand, but her real passion was goat tying.
She won the first of more than 15 saddles in 1988 when she was crowned the South Dakota High School Rodeo State Champion Goat Tyer. Kristi attended Dickinson State University, competing for the Blue Hawks rodeo team, before transferring to National College in Rapid City, where she graduated in 1992.
While competing in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association, Kristi was a three-time Great Plains Region Goat Tying Champion, finishing as high as fifth at the College National Finals Rodeo. She went on to find much success in the arena, competing in the South Dakota Rodeo Association, Northwest Ranch Rodeo Cowboys Association, Mid-States Rodeo Association, and the North Dakota Rodeo Association, racking up 18 championships overall.
Kristi made her home near Meadow (later Dupree) where she joined her parents’ cattle operation on the family ranch. She had an eye for cattle and took enormous pride in the herd she built alongside Dave and Rhonda. When she was having a bad day, she would often drive through her pasture and watch her nice calf crop. It wasn’t uncommon for friends and family to receive a text containing only a photo of black cattle and a smile emoji.
In 1994, Kristi married Daryl Ferguson, and their daughter, Sidni Shay, was born in 2002. Sidni was Kristi’s mini-me and her pride and joy. Kristi is the light woven into Sid’s fiber. Like her mom, Sidni is strong, kind, brave and good.
In 2009, Kristi married Jace Birkeland. But it was earlier in 2008 that the couple received one of the biggest surprises in life: Kristi was expecting identical triplet boys. Although she knew she was pregnant, she delayed sharing the news, or even having an ultrasound, until she was five months along, explaining, “I need to get through the bull sale in March before I let Dave know.”
Fletcher Coy, Tee Remington, and Cruz Duke were born with blazing red hair in June of 2008 at 32 weeks old, bringing both joy and chaos with their arrival. Big sister Sidni quickly adapted to her new role as “second mom,” and Kris often said she didn’t know what she would have done without her help.
The triplets, or “the trips” as Kris called them, proved their hair color’s reputation right, providing endless entertainment and stories as they grew. Now seniors in high school, Kris was so proud of the young men they have become.
While Kris made her mark on rodeo history, it was never about the awards for her. Upon accepting the Rodeo Cowgirl Great Award in 2018 at the Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center Tribute Dinner, Kristi said: “Rodeo is not about the number of championships or saddles I have won; it’s about the miles traveled during the years. It’s the ups and downs. The new rodeo with all the new committee members I got to meet and become friends with. It’s the new girl who entered that year and became a great friend. It’s the girl who unloaded her horse and found him lame, and I offered mine, and in return, she may have offered me hers down the road. It’s the friendships and all the world problems we solved during late-night drives. It’s watching each other grow old and raise families, and unfortunately, watching the good Lord take a few from us when it wasn’t really their time. Now my greatest joy is watching my kids grow and start their rodeo journeys. Seeing their smiles when they make their first whistle, catch their first calf, win their first buckle, and watching Sidni win her first saddle. It’s priceless.”
In 2024, the Lensegrav Ranch was honored at the Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center Tribute Dinner. During her remarks, Kristi said, “Our family’s foundation has been built around raising livestock and caring for the land that God has graciously provided us, and along with that, a profound love for rodeo. God bless cowboys, cowgirls, and ranchers.”
One cannot dismiss the animals Kristi met along the way. She had numerous horses, many of which won Horse of the Year honors, including her favorite horse, Walsh. Kristi’s nieces went on to rodeo on Walsh, as did Sidni before she retired him. Walsh passed away at the age of 30 in 2018.
More important to her than any accomplishment in the arena or on the ranch was her love for family and friends. To say Kristi cut a wide swath would be an understatement. She never met a stranger she didn’t like. She took time for the elderly and the young alike, always asking about their families and truly listening to the response.
She was the light in the room that everyone walked toward. You wanted to be near her, to feel her magic, and to spread it.
For as brave and tough as Kristi was, she was equally classy and stylish, with a deep appreciation for the finer things in life. She could go from chore clothes to a night on the town with ease. When she walked into a room, people noticed. Her style was impeccable. She carried a quiet confidence. She glowed.
She was a foodie. The first question she asked before any trip, big or small, was, “Where are we going to eat?” Sharing a meal out was an experience, and every bite, sip, and conversation was savored and remembered.
The trips, travels, ranching, and rodeos were mile markers in her life. But in between, Kristi had the unique ability to create and capture magic in the small moments: spontaneous dances to “Love Will Keep Us Together” by Captain and Tennille whenever it played, the same song her dad cranked up on vinyl when they were kids and danced the same moves as Kris; shared sunsets over a great glass of wine; watching the boys play football or Sid rodeo.
Conversations with Kris were bigger and more meaningful, and void of gossip, as she didn’t have time for that. She always looked for the good in people and understood that you are more than your circumstances, and that gratitude can be found wherever you choose to look.
True to the many layers of the onion that Kristi was, this past year and a half she became a bus driver for her “Bridger Kids,” who affectionately called her Krispy Chicken. Even then, it was never a direct route. Joy was to be chased, as she would drive them out of the way for Christmas light tours, happily repeating the same route at their request, even though it made for a longer day after an already long one.
Kristi was welcomed to heaven by her dad, Dave Lensegrav; father-in-law, Neil Birkeland; grandparents, Ken and Esther Elson; and grandparents Olav and Edna Lensegrav.
Kristi leaves behind her children Sidni, Fletcher, Tee, and Cruz; husband, Jace Birkeland; mother, Rhonda Lensegrav; brothers, Ken (Kim) Lensegrav; Jesse (Dorena) Lensegrav; Taylor (Kayla) Lensegrav; nieces Katie (Bryce) Dibbern and Kelsey (JD) Fear; Gretel Lensegrav; mother-in-law Vickie Birkeland; sister-in-laws, Darci (Brian) Harper, Kari (John) Gray, Kelli (Brad) Leonard, and Jacki (Reggie) Kennedy; and their children Dace (Jodi), Jade (Katy), Jess and Drew Harper, Reece Leonard, Sam, Tristan and Tel Kennedy; and countless members of her rodeo family across several states, along with fierce friends, animals, and an earth marked by a trail of light, each point representing a life touched by her legacy of kindness, laughter, generosity, friendship, strength, and love.
We see that legacy imprinted in Sidni, Fletcher, Tee, and Cruz, and we are comforted knowing Kris lives on in them. If we could all take one thing from Kristi, it would be this: life on this earth is temporary. Some of us leave before we are ready. But living is meant to be captured, cherished, and held tight. It’s about giving our gifts away. Pausing for the sunset. Helping a stranger. Truly seeing people. Holding your kids tight while launching them from the highest cliff.
And while so many of us are left with gaping, loud grief, we are collectively watching Kristi fly from star to star, each one growing brighter as she passes by.
In lieu of flowers, a Memorial will be established by her family in Memory of Kristi.