Kathy Branstad

Kathy (Phillips) Branstad, 66, died on July 23, 2024, at Essentia Health in Fargo, ND surrounded by her loving family.

Matthew 17:20 says “…I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there, and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” In perfect alignment with her strength, determination, and independence, Kathy wrote her own obituary, which you will read below: 

She was born to Beverly (Freddie) Fredrickson Phillips and Robert Henry Phillips on September 3, 1957, and grew up on a dairy farm near Hollandale, MN. She attended Ellendale/Geneva High School, graduating in 1976. She was the Salutatorian for her class, an honor reserved for the second highest-ranked student. 

Kathy grew up with and had a deep love of animals and rejoiced in God’s creation and the gift it is to us.

When she was 8 years old her dad ran over a garden snake. Kathy tried to sew it up with a needle and thread. Kathy used to catch mice and kept them in a birdcage to save them from the cat. Her dad discovered the mice when the cat started yowling at the birdcage. Kathy broke her horse, Ringo, when she was 10 years old. She believed in having patience with the process. She and her siblings would ride horses with the neighbor kids around their country block, stopping at their elderly neighbor’s house for cookies and kool-aid.

It was important to Kathy’s parents that their family knew and was close to both sides of the family – her cousins and other family members would visit each other on Sundays, everyone knew each other.

Kathy attended college at the University of Minnesota in Morris and majored in Psychology. A very important part of her time there was the 5 years she spent researching lab rats under Ernie Kemble. She attended Ball State for her master’s degree and was a lab assistant there as well. After completing her degree, Kathy worked as a program coordinator for the DAC for a year, and then as a director at a home for people with disabilities, helping them to live life more independently. 

Kathy met the love of her life, Dave, on a blind date. They were married on May 31, 1986. Kathy and Dave raised 3 children – Breana, Sam, and Matthew. For 10 years, they owned and operated Mustard Seed Gardens & Petting Farm in southern Minnesota, home to 100 domestic and exotic animals and 7 acres of gardens. It was a MN State attraction. Kathy and Dave later spent time at Dave’s family resort in northern Minnesota, which eventually led to their move to Detroit Lakes.

In 1999, at the age of 41, Kathy went back to school for her Doctorate in Psychology at the MN School of Professional Psychology in Bloomington. She took a job at Lakeland Mental Health in 2003 and worked with children there until 2005. She started performing evaluations for Social Security and Disability benefits and continued with that work until 2009.

In 2006, Kathy was diagnosed with MS. She didn’t let her illness keep her down! 

She continued to spend time at the resort.

She loved any opportunity to gather with her children and grandchildren.

She worked through Master’s-level courses in the winter through various institutions.

She was provided an emotional support cat, Bella, who she loved dearly.

During her Salutatorian speech in high school, Kathy said, “You should tell people you love them, because you never know when you will see them again”. 

Kathy is survived by her loving husband, Dave, children Breana (Trevor) Fischer, Sam (Jordan) Branstad, and Matthew Branstad, and her grandchildren Elsie and Grace Fischer, Maddy and Michaela Branstad, and Penelope Branstad; brothers Mike, Tony and Tim, sisters Brenda and Chris; numerous nephews and nieces, and great nephews and nieces. 

She was preceded in death by her parents, Beverly and Robert, her brother Pat, nephew Terry and aunts and uncles.