Amy Pedersen

Amy Beth (Johnson) Pedersen, 59, of Brookings, South Dakota, passed away on Thursday, March 5, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. She fought a courageous battle with cancer for nearly 14 years.

Visitation will be from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM on Thursday, March 12 at Ascension Lutheran Church, Brookings, South Dakota. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 10:00 AM on Friday, March 13, 2026 at Ascension Lutheran Church, Brookings, South Dakota followed by Interment at First Lutheran Cemetery and a noon lunch served at Ascension Lutheran Church. Amy’s beloved Nieces & Nephews will be her Honorary Pall Bearers.

Amy was born on July 22, 1966, in Watertown, South Dakota, the daughter of Arlee Byron and Virginia Lorraine (Anenson) Johnson. Amy’s childhood years were spent in Watertown, South Dakota where she graduated from public school in 1983. She continued her education at Lake Area Technical College where she received a degree in Dental Assisting. Amy then worked as a Dental Assistant while pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Communications. After graduating from SDSU, Amy worked at First Bank & Trust where her responsibilities included serving as the first Manager of the Hy-Vee Bank Branch, and then as the Bank’s Training Director. Amy received her Master’s Degree from SDSU where she served the remainder of her career as an Instructor. Amy was honored to be selected by the SDSU Student Body as the “Teacher of the Year” multiple times for her College.

Amy married James Bryan Pedersen on March 11, 1989. They were blessed with two sons, Eric and Casey. Amy adored her role as “Mom.” Highlights included attending her children’s school and sporting events. She took great joy in playing cards and games with friends, or simply visiting. Amy was skilled at creating numerous scrap books for her children and enjoyed creating hand crafted greeting cards for special events. She could often be found watching the Minnesota Twins or cheering on her favorite NASCAR teams. She enjoyed traveling to see these events whenever the opportunity presented itself in addition to traveling to most any other destination. She especially enjoyed family vacations spent visiting several of our nation’s beautiful National Parks including Arches, Badlands, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Everglades, Grand Canyon, Grand Tetons, Mesa Verde, Saguaro, Yellowstone, and Zion.

Amy was selected to travel throughout India for a month on a Rotary International exchange program. While serving as the President of the Brookings Rotary Club, she attended the International Convention in Brisbane Australia. Amy served several other civic groups in various roles including, Toastmasters, Bobcat Backers President, and Band Boosters President while her children attended Brookings High School.

Amy is survived by her husband Bryan, Sons Eric (Special Friend Megan) of Aberdeen, SD, and Casey (Maggie) of Fargo, ND; Sisters Karla (Roger) Stimson of Watertown, SD, Dianne Healy of Larchwood, IA, Linda (Roger) Ching of Castlewood, SD, and Brenda (Rick) Rorvick of Watertown; Sister-in-law JoLynn (Scott) Rowbotham of Brookings; Mother-in-law Jeanette Pedersen of Brookings; her beloved nieces and nephews; extended family; and many cherished friends.

Amy was preceded in death by her parents, Arlee B. & Virginia L. Johnson; Grandparents Albert & Bertha Johnson; Grandparents Gustav & Emma Anenson; Father-in-law Myron J. Pedersen; and Brother-in-law Roger W. Ching.

Amy will be remembered for her sense of humor, witty one-liners, and her enduring love for family, friends, and anyone she met. She could often be heard saying “take a walk in their shoes before passing judgement.” The love, strength and joy she fostered served as an example to her family. She will be dearly missed.

Memorials in honor of Amy may be made to Feeding Brookings or Brookings Regional Humane Society in lieu of flowers.