Christopher Hoiland

Christopher Philip Hoiland passed away on April 22, 2025, at St. Mary’s hospital in Rochester.

What you need to know is this: he got very sick, very sudden, with Giant Cell Myocarditis, a disease as rare and unique as Chris himself. He was fortunate to be airlifted to Mayo in Rochester where his family and friends spent 41 days- hoping, praying, begging for him to get better and come home. He had the best care, and the doctors tried everything they could but Chris, who we all saw as the strongest man around, was no match for it.

He spent the majority of his hospital stay sedated, traveling to and from different procedures and fighting the inflammation and infections that arose, but we felt so lucky to have a few days without the breathing tube, where he was our Chris, just quieter and with more eye rolls.

But we will remember Chris for his many talents. He was a helper and a fixer. Of engines, computers, appliances, and his wife’s hairbrained ideas. He loved Led Zeppelin and could answer nearly any question about history. He would answer the phone to help anyone, at any time, and for any reason.

Chris was born on October 10, 1978, in Caledonia. He was raised in Rushford on his family’s farm and graduated from Rushford-Peterson in 1997 and from Winona State in 2006. He and Annie married in 2006 and eventually built a house on the old Hoiland family turkey farm. He worked the past 17 years at Acentek in Houston. It wasn’t the same as farming with his dad, but he still got to be a fixer, and he was lucky to go to work every day with people he truly enjoyed.

If you lived in Rushford, you knew Chris. You could find him buying his Powerball tickets at Pam’s, getting food for his kids at Kwik Trip and making countless trips to the hardware store during one morning project (“Annie! Need anything at the hardware store?”). There was no such thing as a quick run to town because he would inevitably see someone he knew and talk until he had to be called to come home.

You could find him at Jed’s, talking smart with Mark, Chuck and all the rest. Or, hitting golf balls with his friends at his two favorite golf courses, the Meldahl Garage Club and Ferndale.

And of course, he would always stop at Phil and Mary’s on the way home so Mary could pass along treats and he and his dad, his first best friend, could solve the world’s problems.

Growing up, Chris’ favorite pastime was “steamrolling” his little sisters, Krin and Hayley, farming with his dad and grandpa Stan and getting into So. Much. Trouble. with his friends, trouble that Phil and Mary are only now learning about!

Chris’ greatest accomplishment was not landing Annie as his wife, or perfecting his strull recipe, but his kids, Gus and Clara. Gus was his best friend. His first word was “bombine” and their favorite activities together were snowmobiling, golfing, and farming with Bops and Trevor.

Chris joked that Clara didn’t like him until she was 6 months old but after that she turned into a great sidekick. He taught her to drive a 4-wheeler (sort of successfully), to golf and they were movie-going buddies.

We cannot list all of the people Chris loved and who loved him. But his favorite boys were there- with him and his family- until the end: Jamie, Jeremiah, Nick, Mark, Michael, Chuck, Jesse, and Richie.

Chris is survived by his wife Annie, children Gus and Clara, parents Philip and Mary, sisters Krin (Gabe) Meehan, Hayley (Andrew) Smith, his nieces and nephews who really, really loved him: Michaela, Hannah, Grace, Morgan, Hadyn, Grant, Ingrid, Olive, Kai, Eddie, Elouise and Bjorn and all his aunts and uncles and cousins.

Chris was preceded in death by his grandparents and his uncle Eric.

Please, come celebrate Chris with us. Don’t feel the need to dress up- bonus points for old band t-shirts, golf or bowling benefit shirts, Klim, Carhartt or Trojan apparel. His uncle David is already planning the menu for a big summer celebration in true Betty Fest style, so keep watch for details.

Instead of flowers, please consider donating to a fund for Gus and Clara’s education. An account has been set up at Merchants Bank in Rushford.

There will be no visitation prior to the funeral service, all are invited to join the family following the service for a time of fellowship, in the church reception hall.