Hollace “Holly” Gruhn, 65, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and formerly of Hitchcock, South Dakota, died Wednesday, March 8, 2006, at her home in Sioux Falls. Her funeral service was held March 14 in Huron, South Dakota. Memorials will be directed to St. Joseph Indian School, P.O. Box 100, Chamberlain, SD 57325. Credit card donations may be made to 1-800-584-9200.

Hollace was born on Feb. 25, 1941, in Riverside, Calif. She attended Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., where she received a B.S. degree in political science, then graduated with a Masters degree in political science from the University of California at Riverside.

Hollace was a poet and teacher. She taught government and world history in a California high school. Her poetry appeared in more than a dozen periodicals and books. She drew inspiration from having lived in many interesting parts of the world, including South Dakota, California, Orcas Island, England, Scotland, Hungary, and Australia.

She was always engaged in volunteer work for underprivileged segments of society. In particular, she worked with Friends Outside, an organization that helps families of California inmates, and she was involved with projects to improve the lives of Native Americans in South Dakota.

She is survived by her husband, James Oxandaburu of Springfield, South Dakota; two daughters from her first marriage, Remembrance “Remy” (David) Newcombe of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Honor Carolina of Brooklyn, New York; amd one brother, William (Kathy) Gruhn, of Matthews, North Carolina.

She was preceded in death by her parents.