Deb Hoy

Funeral services for Deb (Berens) Hoy, age 67, of Lincoln, NE, formerly of Gregory, SD, will be held on Monday, September 2, 2024, at 10:30,AM at St Joseph Catholic Church. Burial will be at 1:30 PM (Mountain Time) on Tuesday, September 3 at the Black Hills National Cemetery. There is a prayer service on Sunday night at 7 PM at the church with visitation one hour prior to the prayer service.
In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to the American Cancer Society.
Debra Martha (Berens) Hoy was born January 11th, 1957, in the Gregory Hospital to Lawrence "Vince" and Doris (Pejsa) Berens. She grew up in Gregory and attended the Gregory Public Schools from kindergarten to 12th grade. Deb graduated in 1975. Following high school, she attended Springfield College for Business.
While growing up in Gregory, the family attended St Joseph's Catholic Church. Deb was active in the Junior Catholic Daughters and was involved in several community activities, such as singing and playing at the nursing home and helping to raise money for March of Dimes and several other charities. In school she was active in band, choir, debate, Future Business Leaders of America, and loved learning about government and the political process. Deb was selected as a "Page" and got to serve in Pierre for a session. It was there, she really got the desire to be involved in politics and important issues.
Deb was the oldest of the five Berens children, and she took that responsibility seriously from early on in her life and continued to be the "big sister" that provided guidance to her younger siblings to the very end of her life. When she was old enough to babysit, she would assign cleaning tasks to her four siblings and ensure they got done, so when Mom and Dad got home, the house was clean! Deb babysat for a lot of families in town. She also worked as a lifeguard for several summers at the Gregory Swimming Pool.
When Springfield College closed, Deb moved to Sioux Falls and worked at Automotive Farm Supply in accounting and payroll. While working there, she met the love of her life, Carl "Joe" Hoy. Carl was in the SD National Guard and so Deb called him G I Joe. The "Joe" stuck and the entire Berens Family calls him Joe. On June 12, 1982, Carl and Deb got married in Gregory at St Joseph's Catholic Church by Deb's life-long friend and classmate, Father Ron Garry.
In 1983, Deb and Carl moved to Herrick to be closer to both of their parents. On September 10, 1983, they welcomed their first born son, Lawrence Jacob (L J). They also lived in Dallas, SD for a short time and eventually moved to Gregory. While in Gregory, Deb worked at the Fogel Chiropractic Clinic and also worked as the County Magistrate for many years. On September 30, 1986, they welcomed their daughter Cassandra Anna (Casie). While the kids were in school, Deb decided to join them and worked at the school. She was a key player in organizing a band trip that included a cruise where the band performed on the ship. Deb worked at the school as a librarian and annual advisor. She was a fun-loving, cheerful teacher who affected many students who always had a cheerful, "Mrs. Hoy!" when they would see her. Deb loved her time at the school and loved working with the kids.
Father Ray Diesch, the Priest in Gregory, called Deb and her friend, Nancy Ekroth, to tell them that they were going to the state Right to Life Convention and he wanted a Right to Life group started in Gregory. Deb and Nancy didn't have any background or knowledge of the Right to Life movement, but they jumped in! In addition to being catalysts in the local organization, Nancy was elected the SD State Secretary and Deb was elected two terms as the State President. Deb also served on the "Vote Yes on 6" campaign. In 2017, Deb and Father Ron Garry, spoke together at the Hour of Reflection at the SD Capitol Rotunda.
Deb also supported those who served. With Carl serving in the South Dakota Army National Guard's 153rd Engineer Battalion, Deb saw her opportunity to serve. She volunteered as the Family Coordinator. She was able to help many families while their spouses were deployed.
After Casie graduated in 2005, Carl and Deb moved back to Sioux Falls and Deb worked for the Census Bureau. She also worked on a couple of political campaigns. She loved talking to people discussing the issues. In 2007, Carl and Deb decided to move to Lincoln, NE to be closer to their new granddaughter Kristen - their true pride and joy!. Deb loved being there for all of Kristen's activities, in and out of school. Many summer days were spent together at the pool. Deb loved attending all of Kristen's activities, but her favorite times were the many hours they spent shopping together and getting their nails done.
While in Lincoln, Deb worked at the University of Nebraska for ten years, after which time she decided to retire. But that didn't last long, as she got bored and she got a job as the only female in an all male company which made gun parts for the military. All the guys called her "Mom" and Deb kept them all in line! When the company lost their military contract, she decided to work just part-time at the St Louise Gifts and Thrifts in Lincoln. No matter where she worked, she made fast friends and enjoyed her time there.
Deb loved her family and her friends with all her heart and was always ready with a story to share. Her quick wit and cheerful attitude made her fun to be with. She kept in touch with her many friends and family members through phone calls. Deb fought cancer and went into remission, living cancer-free for many years. The cancer did negatively affect her liver, and though she fought hard for many years, the liver failure was too much to overcome. Deb passed away peacefully on August 24, 2024 in the Omaha Medical Center, surrounded by family.
Deb is survived by her husband, Carl (Joe) Hoy of Lincoln, NE; son, LJ Hoy and his wife, Natasha and their son Kaedyn of Fountain, CO; daughter, Cassandra Cady and her husband, Jeff and their daughter Kristen Mika of Weston, NE; her father, LJ "Vince" Berens of Lincoln, NE; her siblings: Sandy (Greg) Smith of Burke, SD, Brad (Lisa) Berens of Hartford, SD, Clete (Robin) of Farmington, NM; Rod (Candace) of Lincoln, NE; her brother and sister-in-law Paul & Sherry Hoy of Arlington, SD; and many nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, and numerous cousins.
She is preceded in death by her mother, Doris (Pejsa) Berens and her mother and father-in-law, Vivian and Jake Hoy.