Obituary of Annette Kohoutek

KOHOUTEK ANNETTE

Annette ‘Nettie’ Kohoutek, age 76 of Yankton, SD passed away early Sunday, June 15, 2025 Yankton, SD.  Funeral services will be 2:00 PM, Sunday, June 29, 2025 at Trinity Lutheran Church, Yankton, SD with Revs. Jeff Otterman and Michael Jordan officiating. Visitations will be Saturday, June 28, 2025 at the Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home and Crematory, Yankton, SD and then one hour prior to the service at the church.  On line condolences may be sent at: www.okfhc.com.  To live stream Nettie’s service, click this link: https://server.attend.live/static/event/9rpBx.

On June 14, 2025, heaven welcomed Annette Kohoutek after a 5-year battle with cancer. Her family and friends will keep her memory alive with holiday traditions, inside jokes, and cut-throat card games. Others will remember her as a fun-loving, community-minded, and fiercely-loyal friend. But above all, Annette was a soft-hearted soul who loved deeply and made everyone around her feel special.

 Annette Leet was born on November 5, 1948 to Ronald and Leone [Woodley] Leet of Sioux City, Iowa. She and her younger sister, Gayle, enjoyed an idyllic childhood in Riverside, where she spent her days riding bikes, roller (and ice) skating, and playing baseball with the neighborhood kids. Her family loved camping, fishing, playing cards, and spending time with many aunts, uncles, and cousins. Annette idolized her gregarious father, who served in WWII, worked at the Great Northern Railroad, and became a champion golfer and bowler. Meanwhile, Annette’s mother instilled all the skills that girls needed in the 1960s – sewing, cooking, dancing, and sarcasm.

 After baton-twirling and cheerleading her way through Riverside High School, Annette graduated in 1966. She attended Stewart’s School of Beauty and became a Master Stylist for a growing clientele in northwest Iowa. She soon married Tim Mulloy and they welcomed two daughters. Life wasn’t always easy, but the hard-working family built a community of friends as they moved from Sioux City to McCook Lake to Elk Point, and eventually to Yankton.

Annette spent 45+ years in Yankton, where she was active with the City Parks Board, Habitat for Humanity, Golf Advisory Board, Riverboat Days parade, Trinity Lutheran Stewardship Committee, and the Credit Union Board of Directors. She married Jerry Kohoutek in 1991, and enjoyed a life full of grandkids, gardening, boating, and road trips — often traveling across the country on the back of Jerry’s motorcycle or in the Corvette. Taking after her dad, Annette became an avid golfer and built a home on the Fox Run golf course, where she could roll out to play a round or practice putting on the nearest green.

 Annette’s shorthand and people skills earned her a role at the Blackburn & Stevens law firm, followed by a 32-year career as the Executive Assistant to the President of Avera Sacred Heart Hospital. She was a beloved member of the Sacred Heart community who navigated the needs of executives, physicians, board members, Sisters, and employees with the skill of an air traffic controller – always with a smile on her face. She also took great pride in organizing celebrations and recognition events for hospital staff and leadership.

Her competitive spirit showed in her loyal following of Gazelles and Bucks basketball – even after her daughters were no longer on the court to hear her trademark whistle. She traveled to softball tournaments, swim meets, hockey games, and watched online wrestling matches to support her grandchildren near and far. Her gamesmanship also fueled countless card nights with friends and family, where she was known to speak sweetly while stabbing you in the back if victory was in sight.

 Annette’s creativity and love of the outdoors came to life in her beautiful handmade cards, bountiful garden, and photography of eagles that graced the Missouri River.  She was a whiz with the sewing machine — crafting clothes, Halloween costumes, choir costumes, curtains, and doll clothes. And she loved to dance wherever music was playing, regardless of who was watching.

Annette was preceded in death by her parents and sister. She is survived by her husband, Jerry Kohoutek; daughters Kelly (Troy) Bauder and Molly Mulloy (Trey Wafer); stepson Scott (Nora) Kohoutek and stepdaughter Stacey (Owen) Wassink; nephews Chris (Amy) Jacobson and Ryan (Kristin) Jacobson; grandchildren Bailey (Tucker) Delange, Taylor (Eli) Huber, Maddie and Liam Wafer, Spencer and Bradley Jacobson, Lauren (Alex) Kern, Lexie Kohoutek, and Olivia Wassink; great-grandchildren Isla and Donovan; and many cousins and friends.

 For those who wish to honor Annette’s impact on this world, please call your loved ones or plant a tree in your community. To continue her legacy of supporting nursing students at Mount Marty University, the Annette Kohoutek Memorial Scholarship will be established.  To make a donation in her memory send in acre of: Jerry Kohoutek, 1505 Summit Lane #111, Yankton, SD 57078.