Arlys LaVonne Saoi

Arlys LaVonne Saoi, age 91, of Yankton, South Dakota, died Thursday, September 16, 2021, at Avera Sister James Care Center in Yankton. Funeral service will be 2:00 PM on Saturday, September 25, 2021 at Redeeming Grace Bible Church in Yankton, South Dakota. Burial will be in the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Yankton. Visitation is from 5:00 to 7:00 PM on Friday, September 24, 2021, at the Wintz & Ray Funeral Home in Yankton with a prayer service at 7:00 PM. Arlys Saoi was born March 15, 1930, in Dawson, Minnesota, to Elmer and Helen (Hanson) Wager. She grew up in Dawson and graduated from Dawson High School in 1948. She took singing lessons at the famous MacPhail School of Music in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She then attended Minneapolis General Hospital and received her degree in nursing. She began working at Saint Andrews Hospital in Saint Paul, Minnesota, as a nurse where she met her future husband, Dr. Nicasio Saoi. Arlys and Nic were married on May 30, 1959 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. They moved to Yankton in 1963 and Arlys worked as a school psychologist in the Yankton School District. She attended University of South Dakota in Vermillion, earning her Master’s Degree in Psychology. She was a member of Redeeming Grace Bible Church in Yankton. She loved to read her bible and led many bible studies. She was a kind, generous, and charitable person. She loved music, whether it was dancing, singing, or playing, she loved it all. Arlys played the piano during the church services and even wrote her own music. She loved her family and spending time with her husband traveling all over the world. Arlys and Nic sang in a Yankton choir that traveled to and sang in different European countries including, Austria, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, and Italy.  They also traveled together to Greece, Israel, France, United Kingdom, Philippines, Mexico, and Hong Kong. Survivors include her husband, Dr. Nic B. Saoi of Yankton; three children: David Saoi of Yankton, Kristen Saoi of Yankton, and Steven Saoi of Sioux Falls, SD; two sisters; Betty Maynard of Gary, SD and Bonita (Kurt) Brandon of Minneapolis, MN; one brother, Paul (Mary) Wager of Dawson, MN; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Donald Wager.  

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