Kristine Gilley

Kristine Louise Hovland Gilley was born December 28, 1955, the daughter of Donovan and Janice Hovland, in Marshall. Kris was baptized in January of 1956 at Hope Lutheran Church in Minneota and confirmed at the Hazel Run Lutheran Church in May of 1970. Kris graduated from the Granite Falls High School in 1973. Following graduation, Kris traveled to Baudette, Minnesota where she worked at Trails End Lodge, then to Montevideo where she worked at Luther Haven Nursing Home as a CNA. She then traveled South with a magazine company selling magazines. They walked from farm to farm ? if they saw a farm with a big blue silo, they wanted to go there because that meant they had money and would probably order magazines. She then came back to Minnesota where she attended Granite Falls Area Vocational School. There she met her best friend Connie and they decided to road trip to Sioux Falls, South Dakota where Kris then moved to. There she met and married Russ Gilley and to their union was born on July 7, 1989, their daughter and very special gift, Caitlin Rae. While living in Sioux Falls, Kris worked at the Rainbow Bar, a Sioux Falls nursing home and the Half Price Store. Later they moved to Blair, Nebraska, where Kris worked at the nursing home in the dietary department. In May of 1999, they moved to Boyd. Kris cleaned for the Boyd Municipal Liquor Store, the City of Boyd and Dangerous Curves. Kris was also a Sunday School Teacher at Trinity Lutheran Church of Boyd. Kris enjoyed baking chocolate chip cookies, eating her mom's flat bread as well as Skyping with her best friend Connie. Kris enjoyed going on short trips with her friend Dixie to Brookings to see Caitlin. Kris drank many pots of coffee daily with her best friends Todd and Tom. Kris enjoyed music and dancing. In her younger days, she liked to read and was an excellent piano player. In May of 2012, Kris was diagnosed with lung cancer, and so her battle began. Due to her health, she had to retire from her cleaning jobs of 12 years at the Boyd Municipal Liquor Store, where she worked with her best friend Tom Nelson. Kris endured many trips to Watertown, South Dakota for chemo and radiation treatments. She was a fighter! In May of 2013, her health declined. Kris passed away at the Madison Lutheran Home on Sunday, August 25, 2013. She was 57 years of age. She is survived by her daughter Caitlin of Carbondale, Ill (significant other, Zach Fisk); mother, Janice Hovland of Montevideo; sister, Kathy (Wayne) Hanson; nephew, Christopher (Beth) Hanson; nieces, Natalie Hanson (fiancé Thomas Bastys, Thomas Jr.) and Nikki Jo (Brent, Ryder) Kittelson all of Boyd. She was preceded in death by her father Donovan Hovland in May of 2001 and her best friends: Neila and Todd in 2012.