Esther L. Hoklin

Esther L. Hoklin, 92, of Sioux City went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 at Mercy Medical Center. Visitation will be held on (today) Thursday, June 18, 2009 from 3-8 p.m. with the family present from 6-8 p.m. A prayer service will be held at 7:00 p.m. at Nelson ~ Berger Northside Chapel. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 19, 2009 at the First Evangelical Free Church with Reverend Dan Doran officiating. Burial will follow at Elk Point Cemetery, Elk Point, SD.

Esther was born on January 5, 1917 in Beldenville, WI, to Peter and Petra (Hokling) Peterson. She grew up in Beldenville on a farm and attended country school. She moved to Elk Point in 1936.

Esther married Haakon T. Hoklin on May 23, 1936 in Vermillion, SD. The couple lived in Elk Point until 1942 when they moved to El Paso, WI, to farm until 1944. They then moved back to Elk Point until July of 1954 when they moved to Sioux City.

Esther worked at Aalfs Mfg. for 6 years, then she worked side by side with her husband at the Sioux City Gospel Mission from 1961 until Haakons death in 1984. She then became the superintendent at the Gospel Mission until 1987.

Esther was a member of the Sioux City Gospel Mission Womens Auxiliary and the First Evangelical Free Church. She also received the Service Above Self Award from the Sioux City Rotary Club in 1977.

She enjoyed her family, friends, cooking authentic Norwegian dishes for the holidays, sewing and gardening. She loved her church and her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Joy Group at church and she hosted a bible study at her home for many years. She loved to travel nationally and internationally. She also made a lot of crafts for the Sioux City Gospel Mission Auxiliary.

She is survived by her 3 children, Audrey (Pat) Hansel of Sioux City, Gary (Connie) Hoklin of Sioux City, Mary (Gene) Hansen of Hinton, IA, 6 grandchildren, Julie (Audie) Baughman of Sioux City, Lisa (Steve) Chartier of Sioux City, John (Teresa) Hoklin of Sioux City, Amanda Hoklin of Omaha, NE, Kristen (Albert) Perez of Sioux City and Rick (Patty) Hansen of Hinton, IA, 5 great grandchildren, Briana, Alexandra, Madelyn and Patrick Baughman and Kari Hoklin, 2 sisters, Alice (Russell) Hansen of Beldenville, WI, and June Cunningham of Chippewa Falls, WI, 4 sisters-in-law, Martha Peterson, of Beldenville, WI, Mabel Peterson of Beldenville, WI, Darlene (Walter) Deines of Anderson, CA, and Betty (Eldon) Hasche of Sioux Falls, SD, and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Rev. H.T. Hoklin, Infant Son, Larry Hoklin, her parents, Peter O. and Petra Peterson, 5 brothers, Arthur, Edor, Palmer, Newell, and Walter Peterson, and one sister, Anna Grotenhuis.