Roxanna Geneva McCollam was born May 26, 1932 in Sioux Falls, SD. She died September 29, 2016 in Grand Junction, CO. Her parents were Stearl and Gudrun (Peterson) Gonyo. Roxanna attended five different one room country schools to complete first through eighth grade. She enjoyed riding her horse to and from school. She took fresh sliced onion sandwiches to school for lunch until her teacher said no more onion sandwiches and they smell up the school. Roxanna went on to graduate valedictorian from the Baltic High School in Baltic, SD. She later received a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Education from the University of Wyoming.
Roxanna’s family were dairy farmers. Roxanna was awarded 4-H Winner in Dairy and attended the National Club Congress in Chicago, IL. Several of the families’ Brown Swiss and Ayrshires were county, state, and national champions.
While in college she met and married Philip B. McCollam. The formed a housing construction company in Yankton, SD with several extended family members. In 1961, Phil took a job with the United States Geological Survey (Water Resources Division). The family moved to Casper, WY. The McCollam’s moved fourteen times all around Wyoming. They built homes in Worland, Green River, and two homes in Riverton, WY.
As the children grew the family became involved in Little League, Babe Ruth, 4-H, Jobs Daughters, Blue Birds, Brownies, Boy and Girl Scouts, Sunday School, Bible School, Girl’s Softball, and school activities which included many sports.
Roxanna was a substitute school teacher for thirty-six years throughout Wyoming.
Roxanna will be buried at the East Nidaros Lutheran Cemetery near Baltic, SD. She will be the fifth generation to be buried in this country cemetery.
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