Mass of Christian Burial for Edwina Mowrer Hollenbeck, 83, of Promise will be at 11 AM, CT, Wednesday, May 10, 2017 at St. Catherine's Catholic Church in Promise. Burial will be in the church cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home of Mobridge. A Rosary service will be held at 7 PM Tuesday at the church. Edwina passed away Thursday, May 4, 2017 at the Mobridge Regional Hospital.

Edwina Joy Ducheneaux was born July 23, 1933 at the Old Cheyenne River agency to Edward and Alice (Oltmanns) Ducheneaux of Promise. She went to school at Promise through the 8th grade then attended the Immaculate Conception Boarding School in Stephan and graduated in 1951. She then went to St. Mary's School of Practical Nursing and took extra courses in surgical and obstetrics and received her License Practical Nurse (LPN) in 1952. She worked at Park City, UT in a mining hospital for five months. In 1953 she started working at USPHS at Ft. Defiance, AZ on the Navajo reservation. While working there she met Glen Mowrer at a dance in Gallup, NM.

Edwina and Glen were married January 28, 1956 at Gallup, NM and moved to South Dakota that same year to begin ranching and raising her family. Their first home was at Roan Bear Camp south of Promise where Glen worked for the VE Ranch and Edwina worked at the Cheyenne Agency as a Field Health Nurse.

In 1957 they moved southwest of Promise where Edwina had traded her allotment for some land. They purchased the railroad section house from her parents and moved it to this location. Their first herd of cattle were Hereford. Edwina was the second Indian woman to receive cattle from the Payment In Kind Program.

In 1961 they purchased two quarters of land from John Thompson and moved their home along the Moreau River, three miles west of Promise where she resided until her death.

In 1972, after the untimely death of her husband, she single-handedly raised her six children on the family ranch. She taught them home-making and stock raising skills while simultaneously emphasizing their education. She involved herself and her children in school extra-curricular activities, 4-H club work and St. Catherine's Catholic Church at Promise Education and higher education was very important to her. Her children attended Promise Day School and graduated from 8th grade at the White Horse Day School. They all graduated from Timber Lake High School.

Edwina served four years as the minority representative on the area Farmers Home Administration Board in the late 70s and early 80s.
In 1981 Edwina began her career in kidney dialysis and received her training through the National Kidney Foundation in Minneapolis, MN. Starting with one patient it evolved into 18 patients over 10 years and was the beginning of the tribal dialysis program. After nearly 10 years of driving nearly 60 miles one way from her ranch, she decided she needed to retire. Her last day was May 3, 1991. She was honored by the tribe by proclaiming April 26 as Edwina Mowrer Day and was given her Indian name "Waunsilaka Win" meaning "Woman Who Takes Pity."
On October 30, 1989 she married Laurence "Pinky" Hollenbeck at the All Saints Catholic Church in Eagle Butte. Together they lived both at Promise and at his ranch south of the Sitting Bull Monument. In 1998 Pinky retired his ranch and they made their home on Edwina's ranch where they enjoyed ranching, traveling, and nurturing grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

In 1993 she lost her left eye while helping with the cattle. Edwina was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in 2003 and lived with this disease until her passing.

She was a member of the Timber Lake and Area Historical Society and served on the board from 1993 to 2003. In 2006 she was the North American Indian Women Association, Woman of the Year in the Family Life and Community category.

When sleep eluded her because of pain and cancer drugs, every morning she went to her office and said a Rosary. A prayer often shared with her in the hospital. When she knew someone was going on vacation, she would ask them to bring her back a Rosary. Our Mother Mary carried Edwina through her pain and suffering and in the end held her hand and led her to eternal happiness.

Survivors include two sons, Jeffrey (Sylvia) Mowrer and Gregg (Sweenie) Mowrer of Promise; four daughters Lori (Buck) Ward of rural Timber Lake, Karla (Doug) Hackett of Osceola, NE, Kathi (Donn) Varland of rural Faith, and Jodi (Scott) Wooldridge of Hill City; step-children, DeeAnn Hollenbeck, Carrie Hollenbeck, Lori Petersen, Sue McDonald, Jim Hollenbeck, and Jed Hollenbeck; grandchildren and great-grandchildren and step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren; a sister Keva (Andy) Aberle of Timber Lake; a brother Frank (Carol) Ducheneaux of rural Timber Lake; a niece Kendra (Justin) Enright of Timber Lake; three aunts, Velma (Robby) Robinson of Seattle, CA, Velda Chin of San Bruno, CA and Joy Amouk of Salem, OR; special friends Carol Gilbert and Guy Gilbert; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Preceding her death were her parents Ed in 1975 and Alice in 2008; her husband's Glen in 1972 and Pinky in 2013; her brother-in-law Vic Hollenbeck in 2008; her sister Nellie Hollenbeck in 2010; her brother Terry in 2009 and sister-in-law Nancy Ducheneaux in 2014; a granddaughter Kirbi Varland in 1984 and nephews Mike Aberle in 1987 and Paul Ducheneaux in 2016.