Jessie Billquist was born and raised in Anaconda, MT. Upon graduating from high school, she attended Montana Tech and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Occupational Safety and Health. She then attended the University of Montana and earned a Master’s in Physical Therapy. 

Jessie began her career as a Pediatric Physical Therapist (PT) in a private practice but ultimately settled into a primary Pediatric PT role for the Butte School District. She worked with children in a school setting to improve their gross motor skills and to meet the child’s needs with an adapted educational environment. 

In 2011, she was urged by a family friend to apply for the position of Deputy Coroner in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County. Because of Jessie’s strong medical background, her rapport with the public, and her interest in forensics, she felt this would be a great way to build her knowledge in the area. She accepted the job. 

During her time as a Deputy Coroner, Jessie became involved with the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners and the Montana Coroner’s Association. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of both organizations. She also became the first Coroner in Montana to earn her new Diplomat certification as a Medicolegal Death Investigator through the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators. 

In 2017, Jessie was hired as the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Coroner. In her position at the Coroner’s Office, she regularly interacted with funeral directors in her area and across the state. She was able to see firsthand the impact that caring and empathetic funeral directors made on families during such difficult times.  

Wanting to support families in mourning and knowing that a need existed for more funeral directors in Montana and her area, Jessie was compelled to return to school and earn her degree in Mortuary Science. She graduated from Arapahoe Community College in May of 2021. Jessie began her new career as a Funeral Director/Mortician with Axelson Funeral and Cremation Services in Butte, MT. When the owners of Axelson’s purchased Longfellow Finnegan Riddle Funeral Home in Anaconda in 2022, Jessie moved to that location and became the managing Funeral Director/Mortician. For Jessie, this was her dream come true, as she had always hoped that she would be able to return to Anaconda and care for the families in the community where she was born and raised.

Jessie is the proud mom of six amazing children. She and her husband, Doug, live just outside of Anaconda, where they have a great view of the Deer Lodge Valley. In their free time, they enjoy spending time at Montana’s hot springs and traveling.

Jessie is a board member of the MFDA. She also serves as the SW Area Outreach Coordinator for Special Olympics of Montana and is a member of the Anaconda Kiwanis Club and Avon Grange #125. 

To learn more about the Longfellow Finnegan Riddle Funeral Home, please visit www.longfellowfinneganriddle.com.