BOZEMAN — An all-around Montana girl, salt of the earth, and a person who radiated positivity: Sage Lindsay was born and raised in the Treasure State and continues to leave her mark around southwest Montana.
From excelling in the classroom to pushing the limits through gymnastics, and even delving into the rodeo scene in high school, Sage devoted herself to all she did with ferocity and tenacity.
Watch Sage's full story here:
The Lindsay family lived in Bozeman at the time and didn’t have the property and space for horses, so when Sage became interested in running barrels and poles, a family friend lent her their horse, Ranger.
“He was naughty,” Cheryl Thiem, who owned Ranger at the time, laughed. “But he wasn’t as naughty with her, they just had a connection.”
Sage and her newfound "Palomino Partner" were off to the races, learning the ropes and improving with every run. All the while, Sage continued to excel in high school. Camille noted how Sage would put 100% of her energy into every piece of homework, project or report that she was assigned.
“She always, from the get-go, was super academic,” Camille Lindsay, Sage’s mom said. “Things had to be, not just an A, not an A-, it had to be an A+.”
That academic drive and her athleticism propelled Sage toward a future at the Naval Academy.
“Both Gianforte and Steve Daines called her to say that they gave her their nominations to the academy,” Camille said.
Former Senator Jon Tester met with Sage at Bozeman High to congratulate her on her accomplishments and future in Annapolis. It was a time of excitement, but also it was the beginning of an unknown fight against cancer.
“That is how we discovered she had cancer because she was working hard to get all this stuff done for the Naval Academy,” Camille said.
At the age of 17, Sage was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Shortly after, the family flew to Seattle for a more intensive exploratory surgery. Sage’s parents say that the doctors told them that the cancer had spread everywhere.
“I think I can honestly say, that was the worst day of my life,” Camille said.
But despite the outlook, Sage refused to let a prognosis keep her down. Instead of the Naval Academy, she enrolled at Montana Tech. Before she went off, there was a special graduation gift.
“(Ranger) was just sitting around, not doing anything, so we gave him to her,” Cheryl Thiem said.
While attending school, Sage commuted back and forth for treatment. All the while she kept rodeo ridng and ended up going to state. After finishing up her first semester, making the dean's list at Montana Tech, it was time to come home for Christmas break.
“She wasn’t feeling well, so I think the night before New Year's we took her to the hospital, and basically she stayed there and she didn’t come home,” Paul Lindsay, Sage’s father said.
Sage was visited by loved ones, family, friends, members of the local fire department—where her mom had worked—and even her buddy Ranger made an appearance at the hospital.
On Jan. 23, 2019, Sage passed away. She was 19 years old.
Watch extended interview with Travis Barton, founder of park honoring Sage Lindsay:
In the months and years that followed, different scholarships were established to honor Sage and the legacy she left. From the Bridger Mountains High School Rodeo Team to the Montana Tech SageStrong Memorial scholarship, to Lone Mountain Gymnastics' Sage Lindsay Award—and the list continues.
There’s a big piece of Sage that’s still here. She may not be here physically,” Paul said, “but she is still doing the job that she was set out to do.”
Although there are a lot of new faces in the Gallatin Valley, some of whom were not able to meet Sage, there are still hints of her all around. From a "pocket park" in downtown Bozeman, where a chair lift swing bears her favorite saying and a plaque with her emblem, to that very silhouette welded into her favorite Christmas spider that hangs every year above Main Street.
Positivity, salt of the earth, and the all-around Montana girl: Sage Lindsay proved that it is a good day to have a good day.
