Holly Mentele, 72, of Epiphany, South Dakota passed away April 16, 2026, at Good Samaritan, Howard, South Dakota. Mass of Christian Burial will be, 10:30AM, Saturday, April 25, 2026 at the Epiphany Catholic Church. Inurnment will follow at the church cemetery. Visitation will be 5PM to 7PM on Friday at the church, with a prayer service at 5PM. A luncheon will be served following the committal service.
Holly was born December 19, 1953, in Pierre, South Dakota, to Gary and Maxine (Christensen) Parsons. Her early years were spent on the prairie in Big Bend, South Dakota, ranching, spotting prairie dogs, and dodging rattlesnakes. The family unit moved and lived throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota until, after the passing of her father, settled in Mitchell, South Dakota. Her mother opened, owned, and they lived above the Hallmark Store on Main Street. She did not want to live in Mitchell but did ultimately graduate from Mitchell High in 1971.
Holly attended various secondary education facilities, graduating from the Secretarial Program at Mitchell Technical College in 1974, and later earned her accounting degree from Dakota Wesleyan University. Holly enjoyed reading and learning about everything, professional writing, interpreting and applying laws and regulations, and effective communication which was demonstrated during her career at Dr. Floyd Gillis’s office and for South Dakota Advocacy Services.
Through her life experiences and travels, she happened to meet Jerald (Jerry) Mentele. She packed up her 1969 Camaro, with her dog Tiny, and married that man in Epiphany, South Dakota, on June 10, 1978. She adopted their five children, Barbara, David, Steven, Stephanie and Danielle; and had three more, Jeremy, Nicole and Naomi.
Holly lived in Epiphany, raised her 8 kids, and did lots of hard work with Jerry and the construction business. She spent her time exactly how she wanted to – raising animals, gardening, reading, cooking, baking, canning, sewing, needlework, and numerous other – sometimes necessary – ‘hobbies’. Her gardening talents nourished her family for decades and produced houseplant forests inside her home. The quilts that she crafted and blankets she made will be held onto and used for comfort for many days to come. She was most happy at home with her kids and grandkids, enjoying each other and life. She will be forever loved and deeply missed by those who had the pleasure to know her.
She is survived by her children, David Mentele of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Steve (Erica) Mentele of Mitchell, South Dakota, Stephanie Anderson of Humboldt, South Dakota, Danielle (Michael) Anderson of Edmond, Oklahoma, Jeremy (Amy) Mentele of Howard, South Dakota, Nicole (Benjamin) Petrik of Epiphany, South Dakota, and Naomi (Daniel) Cavalieri of Blair, Nebraska; brothers, Lance (Mary) Parsons of Tucson, Arizona, and Wesley (Patricia) Parsons of Big Bend, South Dakota; 22 grandchildren and 2 great-granddaughters.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Gary and Maxine Parsons, her husband Jerald, daughter Barbara Kaufmann, and grandson Patrick Mentele.
