AMY HOILIEN

A Funeral Mass for Amy Hoilien, 70, of Pickstown will be held at Wednesday, May 31 at 10 a.m. at St. Mark’s Catholic Church in Lake Andes. The service will be live streamed at stpaulstmark. com. Inurnment will be in St. Mark’s Catholic Cemetery, Lake Andes. Rosary/Wake services will be Tuesday, May 30th at 7 p.m.

at the St. Mark’s. Peters Funeral Home in Wagner is in charge of arrangements.

Amy Ruth Hoilien, daughter of Marvin and Mary Jane (Cwach) Gall, was born on November 2, 1952 in Yankton. She passed away at her home in Pickstown on May 15, 2023.

Amy grew up in Pickstown and Lake Andes, graduating from Andes Central in 1971. She attended one year at SDSU leaving to work in a nursing home in Aberdeen. While working as a nurse’s aide, one of the Presentation nuns who worked at the home saw a special quality in Amy and strongly encouraged her to consider becoming a nurse. Amy graduated from Presentation College in 1976 as a registered nurse.

She accepted work as a nurse at St.

Luke’s Hospital.

Amy met Dennis Hoilien in Aberdeen and the couple married They moved to Pickstown after Amy began working as an RN at P.H.S., present day Indian Health Services. Amy worked there for 34 years and was an exemplary nurse. One of her co-workers stated that Amy was the best nurse she knew and credits her with saving numerous lives on her own. After retiring from I.H.S. in November 2014, Amy began working for Avera Home Health, specializing in hospice care. Her warm, compassionate nature was a blessing to many families. She retired a second time in 2022.

Amy was also very interested in her community. She served the Ft. Randall Credit Union as a volunteer committee member for 25 years. She was one of the founding members of the Pickstown Board of Trustees when the town incorporated from a government town in 1985, serving six years. She taught religious education at St. Mark’s Catholic church for a number of years, to high school students…no challenge there. In addition, Amy leant her beautiful harmony to the church choir for the past few years.

However, the love of Amy’s life was her children and grandchildren, of whom she was so very proud. She was the true North of the family compass. She loved taking them out on the boat on the Missouri river, spending hours in the sun. She was a talented cook, so the family has many favorite recipes they will treasure. The laughs they shared are too numerous to count. She spent many hours staying at her children’s homes helping with babysitting and attending the grandchildren’s events. Amy was a mentor and friend to many friends and family. Amy’s beautiful smile, quick wit, compassion and brutal honesty will be missed by all who knew her.

Thankful for having shared Amy’s life are her son Matthew (Bobbi) Holilen and their children: Jayden, Renton, and Jensen of Yankton, daughter Shanna (Sage) Chytka and their daughter Samoria of Volin, son Logan (fiancée Virginia Houseman) Hoilien and his children: Kaesen, Kaelyn, Kensley and Mary; father Marvin Gall of Lake Andes; brother Ron (Nancy) Gall of Sioux Falls, sister Anne (Terry) Nordquist of Lake City, sister Nancy (Doug) Nelson of Chamberlain, sister Nora (Terry) Svatos, brother Russell (Jackie) Gall of Pickstown, sister Donna (Kip) Larson of Rapid City; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Amy was preceded in death by her mother, her brother David, and granddaughter Rhea Nyx Hoilien. Also preceding Amy in death were maternal grandparents Victor and Katherine Cwach; paternal grandparents Emil and Johanna Gall.