Mary H. Kollars

Mary H. Kollars, age 63, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, passed away peacefully, though unexpectedly in her sleep on Sunday, June 14, 2026 at her favorite place a home by the lake with her partner Kris and her Woodle, Otis by her side.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 7:00 PM on Monday, June 22, 2026, at the Wintz & Ray Funeral Home in Yankton, South Dakota.

She was born on April 5, 1963, in Yankton, South Dakota to Giles and Helen Kollars. She was raised in Yankton, South Dakota, and lived life to the fullest in many other areas. Mary attended Sacred Heart Elementary and graduated from Yankton High School with the Class of 1981. She attended and graduated from the University of South Dakota with a criminal justice degree. After graduating from USD she moved to Vermillion, then Beresford, and Idaho. She ended up settling in Calgary, Alberta, Canada where she worked for US Customs and Immigration and later as an investigator for the Alberta province. She later worked as a dog catcher, in a wine store and even in security for the Olympics while it was there. She made her way back to South Dakota in 2015, where she began working for the US Postal Service for a short time. She was most recently employed at the Home Warranty Inc. in HR compliance. She enjoyed bringing Otis to work with her almost every day. Mary loved dogs and has had one as a companion throughout her entire life.

Mary’s adventurous spirit gave her the courage and motivation to delve into most any kind of sport, hobby, or project. She spent her childhood years playing football with the kids on her block, later she played women’s softball for many years and she was an avid billiards player. She had a special relationship with her dad from whom she gained a love of fishing and wine making. Her hobbies included gardening and canning, wine and beer making, mushroom and asparagus hunting, good music and live bands, researching genealogy, collecting beer memorabilia, auctions and antiques, and finding the next great deal. Mary had a great musical ability. She was a good singer, piano player, and even taught herself how to play the ukulele! She would tinker, rebuild, and remodel anything from motorcycles, cars, and trucks to jukeboxes and even completely gutted and rebuilt an Airstream travel trailer with the help of her partner Kris. She helped maintain and remodel the lake homes.

Mary enjoyed traveling to visit her siblings around the country. Some of her most memorable excursions included traveling to Wyoming to cut wood with her sisters, multiple trips to Kansas City to attend Chiefs games with her brother and other family members, treks to Nashville with her nieces to watch the Huskers in the Music City Bowl in 2016 and later a Predators hockey game with her niece and friends. Her journeys were too numerous to mention, but each one was special and guaranteed to have some kind of excitement!

From a young age, Mary has held a special place in her heart for her nieces and nephews, some of whom aren’t much younger than she. She loved teasing them whenever she left the house, telling them “crazy” when they asked where she was going. She enjoyed treating them to time at the lake at the Killeas family cabin taking the family out on the pontoon any chance she got. She enjoyed nature and the peacefulness of the lake until her last day. Her adventurous spirit will live on in her nieces and nephews for generations, as they have acquired many of her same passions.

Mary is survived by her partner Kris Killeas and her best friend Otis, siblings: Carolyn (Gordon) Leader, Nicholas Kollars, Dorothy (Morris) Booth, Angela (Rex) Shepperd, Raymond Kollars, Leonard (Tina) Kollars, Patrick Kollars, and many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Giles and Helen Kollars and brothe,r Gerard as a young child.

To post an online sympathy message to the family, please visit www.wintzrayfunealhome.com.