Sarah “Sally” Dorothea (Holm) Hillner born on Feb. 12, 1940, in Chicago, IL to Clarence Emil Holm and Violet Charlotte (Westerberg) Holm passed peacefully on Nov. 22, 2022, at Avantara, in Arlington, SD, at the age of 82.
Visitation is at 9:30 a.m. and funeral at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, at Ascension Lutheran Church, Brookings, SD. A meal follows. Eidsness Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Sally grew up in Chesterton, IN. In 1960 she earned a B.A. in psychology at Indiana University. She was working on her Ph.D. when she met the love of her life, Kenneth P. Hillner. They married on June 2, 1962, and had two sons Paul and Andrew. The whole family moved to Brookings, SD, in 1969 where she was an academic advisor in the Psychology Department at SDSU for many years.
She was an active member of Ascension Lutheran Church for over 50 years. She taught Bible and Sunday school. She was a greeter, a choir member, a baby sitter, and sat on the finance, budget, wedding and funeral committees.
Her son Paul once mentioned that Sally would have been paid millions of dollars if she had chosen to enter the corporate world. Instead, she chose to lead nonprofit organizations. She forcefully advocated for literacy in underserved populations. She was chair of the Governor’s South Dakota Statewide Literacy Task Force in 1986. She was president of the South Dakota Literacy Council in 1997. She was a founding partner of Prairie View Press, which still publishes a textbook about the history of South Dakota used by 4th grade students all over the state. She helped launch the Brookings Empowerment Project in 2007. She held leadership positions in the East Central Literacy Council, the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, and US-Friends at SDSU. She taught seminars to new tutors in Laubach Way to Reading – ProLiteracy all over South Dakota.
Sally loved to sing! She sang as an alto in the Dakota Sioux Chapter of Sweet Adelines International for many years. She also arranged barbershop music and taught piano. In her later years she choreographed and selected music for the line dancing club at the Brookings Activity Center.
Sally was a gifted writer. She could weave an intricate tale from just explaining daily humdrum activities. Her Christmas cards and letters were always a delight to read. She was an avid neighborhood coffee participant and host for several decades. She was a great cheerleader for her sons, sister, nieces and nephew.
Sally is survived by her husband of 60 years, Professor Kenneth P. Hillner, and their two sons, Paul E. Hillner and Andrew C. Hillner, and Andrew’s wife Gayle J. (Hinman) Hillner. Sally is also survived by her sister Nancy E. Konicke, Ken’s sister Linda Gelpke and her husband Richard Gelpke, one nephew and three nieces.
Sally was preceded in death by her sister, Karin A. (Holm) Anderson.
