Cheryl Holen

Cheryl Kaye Holen of Houston, MN went to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Thursday, November 21, 2024 at the age of 78, in her home and surrounded by family.

Cheryl was born in Minneapolis on September 15, 1946. Her childhood years were spent in the loving home of Al and Bee Lilja in Detroit Lakes where she grew up and graduated from high school. She attended Moorhead State and went on to teach phy ed. During that time, her parents moved to Elk River near their close friends Kent and Arlene Holen who had a son also named Kent. Cheryl and Kent fell in love and were married on May 30, 1970. 

They had two daughters, Heather and Karalee, and she loved being a mom. She quit her job and poured herself into raising them in their early years. After living in the Twin Cities and Winona, they moved to Houston in 1983. She then completed her elementary ed degree and went on to teach 6th grade at Houston Elementary for 26 years, from 1985 to 2011. She was a much-loved teacher who poured her heart into challenging, supporting, and loving hundreds of students in her small town.

To meet Cheryl was to know warmth, energy, and kindness. Her love for Jesus was reflected in the way she loved others. She enjoyed people and found everyone interesting. She had a quick laugh that drew others in. Cheryl’s passions were her family and her faith in Jesus. She enjoyed playing and laughing with her grandchildren and attending their activities, traveling with her girls, hiking in the woods together in search of morel mushrooms, and spending family time at Rainy Lake every summer. She also spent countless hours serving and growing with her faithful Looney Valley friends. 

Cheryl is survived by Kent, her beloved husband of 54 years; brothers Paul (Lynda) Lilja, Craig (Maggie) Lilja, and Gary (Mary Kay) Lilja and sister Kyle (Chuck) LeFebvre; daughters Heather (Nathan) Grawe and Karalee (Kent) Tollakson; grandchildren Hannah, Toby, Caleb, and Noah Grawe and Addie Jo and Keaton Tollakson; and six nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents Allen and Berdine Lilja and nephew Conor Lija.

Memorials preferred to Looney Valley Lutheran Church in lieu of flowers.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at her beloved church home Looney Valley Lutheran Church in Houston, MN at 12:00 on Saturday, November 30 with luncheon to follow. Visitation will be 10:00-12:00, prior to the service. The service will be live-streamed on the Looney Valley Lutheran Church Facebook page.