Sanders County Ledger - Your Best Source For Sanders County News

When you live in a small community, it seems "everyone knows everything, about everyone." Honestly, as a "Small Towner," I take pride in that. But, it seems the longer I live here, the more I realize how little I actually know about my common folk. So each month I will venture, randomly choose a local resident, and share more about the people who make Sanders County so incredibly special.

Just when you thought you knew Tess Tessier...

Tessier is no stranger to the area, graduating as a Red Devil from Noxon in 1990. But, you may be surprised to hear some other tid-bits about her.

In 1972, she was born in Grand Coulee, Wash., where her father was an iron worker for the Grand Coulee Dam. Her time there was short, and her family relocated to Spokane, Wash. when she was five years old. She ended up living on Angel Island in Troy, Mont., during the late 1970's and early 1980's.

The Asarco Mine was booming at that time, and her parents decided that owning Little Joe's Bar, on Highway 56, was in the cards. Up until 5th grade Tessier enjoyed Angel Island, but her family once again relocated, heading to the South Fork of the Bull River where she left the Troy School District and became a Red Devil.

After high school, Tessier attended Spokane Community College and earned a degree in Fashion Merchandising. In 1995, she wedded Mike, who happened to be from Trout Creek.

Both worked for a wholesale building material company (Tessier's husband still works for this outfit), and resided in Spokane Valley until 2000.

Like so many others, they felt the best place to raise a family would be small town Montana. They found themselves raising two boys, Corey and Nick in Trout Creek, Mont., alongside Tessier's in-laws.

While Tessier's husband spent time coaching boys' basketball in Noxon, she decided to join the coaching staff as a junior and senior high cheerleading coach. "Such awesome memories we had coaching together! I would not change that experience for anything," she exclaimed.

Tessier loves the smallness of Sanders County. She takes pride in the beauty and lack of stop lights. Being a closet motor head, she lives in the right place to enjoy snowmobiling and buzzing around in her Razor.

To satisfy Tessier's fondness for second-hand shopping, she absolutely adores supporting Sanders County's Yard Sale weekend. "I love the yard sale weekend, because who doesn't need more junk?" she laughed, claiming that pretty much everything in her house is recycled.

Lucky for her, she was able to combine her passions for decorating (genetic trait passed down from her Grandma Klein), fashion, and second-hand up-cycling by opening her own second-hand clothing business only one year ago. Looking back, she realizes earning her college degree paid off, proving that no education is ever wasted.

Tessier has had a pretty eventful life. She was in a local television commercial when she was three, fall is her favorite season, she learned sign language in second grade, Mexican food, good steak, and Rice Krispy treats are her favorite, she has never broken a bone, and birds terrify her.

Wish Tessier a happy birthday when you see her on January 11. Her zodiac is a Capricorn, whose defining trait is to be stubborn. "I am possibly one of the most stubborn Capricorns alive," she giggled.