Phyllis Fravel

Phyllis Katherine Tibbitts Fravel, 94, of Fort Pierre, South Dakota, passed away on March 12, 2026, at Edgewood Senior Living in Pierre.

Born on June 2, 1931, to Tom Tibbitts and Florence Pourier Tibbitts at her maternal grandparents’ home north of Porcupine, South Dakota, Phyllis grew up on the Tom Arnold Ranch between Martin and Mission. She attended Barnes Country School and, because her parents worked on remote ranches, lived with her older sisters while completing high school in Lemmon and Mission before graduating from Valentine High School in Nebraska in 1948. Education remained important to her throughout her life.

After graduation, Phyllis moved to Fort Pierre to live with her oldest sister, Thelma Kelly, and began her teaching career at War Creek Country School in Jones County. She earned her teaching certificate from Black Hills Teachers College in Spearfish and later taught at Orton School in Stanley County. While attending a school dance, she met Clifford Fravel, and they married on June 30, 1950. The couple shared 56 years together on the Glen and Martha Fravel homestead ranch. After Clifford’s death in 2006, Phyllis continued living on the ranch until 2016, when she began spending winters in an apartment in Pierre, always returning to the ranch each April.

A member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and St. John’s Catholic Church, Phyllis also belonged to the Women of the Moose, the Fort Pierre Senior Center, the Verendrye Museum, and the Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center. She served many years as a weather reporter for the National Weather Service. She is survived by her sister Francis Bradford of Newcastle, Wyoming; sister-in-law Linda Tibbits; sons Ron Fravel and Lynn (MaryBeth) Fravel of Fort Pierre; daughter Kathryn Stewart of Rapid City; and son-in-law Randy Vevig of Draper. She is also survived by eleven grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren, as well as five great-great-grandchildren, all of whom brought her great joy.

Phyllis will be remembered for her quiet strength, kind heart, and deep love for her family. She found happiness in working in her garden, stitching beautiful star quilts, and spending time with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. The ranch she loved so dearly was always home, and the memories created there will live on through those who knew and loved her. Her legacy of hard work, generosity, and devotion to family will continue to guide the generations that follow.