Amy Garman, 95, passed away peacefully Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at The Good Samaritan Society in Miller.

   Visitation will be on Monday, May 6, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., at Hyke Funeral Home in Redfield, SD. Family will be present to accept condolences.  A prayer service and time of sharing will begin at 7:00 p.m.

   Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 7, at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Redfield with Reverend John Short officiating. Lunch and fellowship will follow in the church hall. Amy will be laid to rest beside her beloved husband at Restland Memorial Park Cemetery in Dallas, TX, at a later date.

   Both the prayer service and Mass will be live-streamed on the funeral home’s website below Amy’s obituary. Arrangements have been entrusted to Hyke Funeral Home   (www.hykefuneralhome.com).

   Amerallis Monaun Olson was born on April 30, 1929, in Burdette, Hand County, SD, the eighth child born to Mattie and Charlie Olson. On the morning she was born, the amaryllis plant had four big blooms on it, so she was named Amerallis. Amy attended grade school in Burdette’s one-room schoolhouse to the eighth grade. During this time, Amy and her siblings worked side by side in their dad’s Burdette store and chores around the house, each having their own job to do.  The older siblings worked in the store, while Amy and her sister Avis’s job was to do most of the ironing, which was done with a “flat” iron, as they were called, heated on the back of the stove. She attended Redfield High School, boarding in the dorms or private homes during the week. She participated in cheerleading and basketball and was on the homecoming court. She graduated in 1946.  After graduation, she attended Northern State Teachers College for the summer.   Then, under the direction of the county superintendent, she taught first, third, and seventh grade in the same one-room schoolhouse where she had attended. This while living at home with her parents. That year she met Stuart Benning, whose brother had purchased the Burdette store, and they married the summer of 1947. On February 1, 1948. Craig Charles was born. They divorced shortly after and in the summer of 1949, she and Craig moved to Burt, IA, living with her brother Paul and his family.

   Everything seemed to fall in place as she got a job working in Ruth Garman’s dress shop. This is where she met Ruth’s son Bill. He invited her and Craig to a VFW picnic and she said, “this was the first day of the rest of my life.” Bill and Amy were married on the 21st of January 1950, in Algona, IA. Amy was fortunate to be a stay-at-home mom while Bill worked in the newspaper industry. Perry Eugene arrived on March 1, 1951, in Jackson, MN, Paula Ruth was born November 8, 1952, in Brookings, SD, Michael Dale was born November 11, 1959, in Sioux Falls, SD and finally, Mary Beth was born on October 23, 1964, in Sacramento, CA. With their young family in tow, many weekends were spent traveling in different directions camping all over the Sierras.

   By 1965, printers were being laid off because everything was going to automation, so Bill and Amy moved the family to Richardson, TX, to join Bill‘s brothers, Don and Jerry, in setting up a new manufacturer representative business in Dallas, TX. The three brothers and wives ran the company together, and the business progressed very nicely. Together they built a home where they would spend their remaining time together, creating many memories with their family. Over the years, their favorite activities were hunting at the lease, fishing, and spending time at their cabin on Lake Texoma. Bill died on January 21, 1982, their 32nd anniversary. What had been one of the happiest days of Amy’s life had now become the saddest. In the 42 years since that fateful day, Amy became the matriarch of the family and never wavered on making the most of her remaining years.

   Following her husband’s death, Amy sold her share of Garman Sales, Inc. and became active in many organizations and pursuing many hobbies. Some of the many organizations she participated in were: Book Club, Investment Club, Catholic Single Tree Social Club, Catholic Charities of Dallas, the Norwegian Society of Texas “Viking” Chapter of Dallas, American Legion Auxiliary of Tulare, and Sisters In Spirit (SIS) of Tulare. Amy was an avid reader and enjoyed watching sports on TV. In her spare time, she created many scrapbooks, completed many quilting projects, and sewed endlessly for family and friends. She was even hired by East Texas State University for several years creating Medieval costumes for their Christmas program, even getting knighted. Amy was gifted with the ability to tell good stories. In 1991, she even authored a book for her children Garman-Olson:  Our Lineage-Their Stories.

   Amy became passionate about traveling. Her faithful travel companions were her sister Avis Chipman, nieces Palmy Holding and Willowdean Stephens, and sister-in-law Bev Garman. Together, they traveled to many interesting places in the United States, but more notable were their travels that took them to the faraway lands of Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, and on a Holy Land Pilgrimage.

   However, with all her endeavors, her biggest legacy, and family favorite, was establishing the “Garman Getaway” family reunion. Beginning in the summer of 1988 in Gunnison, CO, with an attendance of 20, it has continued every even summer since. The family’s number has grown to 49 and will take place this June in Soulsbyville, CA where her family will continue to honor their mother’s tradition.

   Amy is survived by Craig Garman, Soulsbyville, CA; Perry Garman, Pottsboro, TX; Paula Schultze, Tulare, SD; Mike (Susan) Garman, Pagosa Springs, CO; Mari (Mark) Copeland, Port Aransas, TX; 12 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law: Bev Garman and Ann Garman both of Texas; and many relatives and friends who were part of her life.

   She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Bill (1982); daughters-in-law: Jae Garman (2017) and Marjorie Borgquist (2021); sons-in-law Bob Schultze (2007) and Mark Cleberg (2024); and siblings: Marion (Jim) Fallon, Paul (Velma) Olson, Esther (Bill) Earle, Viola (Bayard) Phinney, Maurice (Fran) Olson, Wally (Bev) Olson, and Avis (Dwight) Chipman.