Mary Marguerite Hoelscher

Marguerite Hoelscher, 94, passed away peacefully at home on July 15, 2025.

She was born on January 11, 1931, in Albion, Nebraska, to Edward and Leola Sullivan. Marguerite grew up on the family farm and began her education at Dennison School at the age of five. In 1938, her family moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she spent the next 15 years attending Lewis Consolidated School in Monument. After graduating, she worked at First National Bank in Colorado Springs while living with one of her brothers and several girlfriends.

On October 11, 1950, Marguerite married the love of her life, Jerome Joseph Hoelscher, after a courtship that began at Camp Carson. They were married in the small community of Violet, Texas, early in the morning, surrounded by close friends and family. The couple moved to Fort Eustis in Virginia Beach, VA, where they lived for a year before settling in Kingsville, Texas, so Jerome could attend Texas A&I for electrical engineering. They eventually returned to Robstown, Texas, where they were asked by Jerome’s father to take over the family business—Hoelscher Electric Company. Marguerite managed the office and handled accounting for both Hoelscher Electric and the Violet Water Supply Corporation for many years.

Together, Marguerite and Jerome raised a loving family of ten children—two boys and eight girls. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Their 52-year marriage was filled with love, faith, and family, and that love extended into four generations.

A devout Catholic, Marguerite rarely missed a Mass at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Violet. She was an active member of the Violet Historical Society and worked every church barbecue she could. As a co-author of A Wilderness Tamed: The History of Violet, Texas (1910–1998), she took pride in preserving her community’s heritage. She loved to bake and was always baking cookies, pies, cakes or a delicious meal. She considered her kitchen the heart of the home.

She loved reading and passed her favorite books on to her daughters. The holidays, especially Christmas, were her favorite time to bring everyone together. With such a large family, there was never a small gathering. Singing carols on Christmas Eve before opening gifts was “her number one rule,” a tradition lovingly upheld across generations.

Marguerite was passionate about travel, especially to Ireland, to connect with her Irish roots. Annual trips to Galveston beach with her daughters brought her much joy, as did the Sullivan family reunions held in the mountains every other summer. She enjoyed playing chicken foot and card games and enjoyed teaching the games to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A dedicated sports fan, she followed the Houston Astros and even opened her home to players from the Coastal Bend Aviators. She proudly attended the sporting events of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren—always their biggest cheerleader.

Marguerite also enjoyed gardening, sewing, and crafting—passing those skills down to her daughters. She appreciated a good word search, Mahjong, or a game of solitaire, and had a lifelong love for country-western and Irish folk music. She loved dancing the polka and two-step with Jerome. Sundays often found them at the Robstown Community Hall, dancing and visiting with friends.

She cherished the peace of country living, often sitting in her backyard, enjoying the breeze and the beauty of nature. Her life was one of dedication, faith, family, and quiet strength. She will be dearly missed.

Marguerite is survived by nine of her children:

• Ronald (Cyndie) Hoelscher,

• Pamela Matlock,

• Marlene Hoelscher,

• Timothy (Nora) Hoelscher,

• Marcella (Jimmy) Rutledge,

• Daria (Rick) Ferri,

• Colleen (Chris) Soza,

• Sandra Hoelscher, and

• Valerie Hoelscher.

She is also survived by her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren:

• Callie (Mark), Kylie and Maverick Noakes

• Justin (Amy), Avery, Jaxon and Ryan Soza

• Seth (Cami), Leo and Zeke Rutledge

• Thomas (Jess), Tyson, Desmond, Brady and Colie Ferri

• Amanda and Sullivan Stewart

• Nicholas (Ashley), Sam Ferri and Laini Vereen

• Felicia (Daniel), Kaydance, Emma, Ava and Brady Ramirez

• Ashley (Jeremy), Canaan and Evelyn Stewart

• Lucas “Luke” (Shyanne) Rutledge

• Eric (Audrey), Tatum, Carter and Cameryn Soza

• Jess (Danielle), Olivia and Cole Rutledge

She is also survived by her siblings:

• Gerald Sullivan,

• Donald (Peg) Sullivan,

• Jimmy Sullivan,

as well as in-laws Verena Sullivan, Judy Hoelscher, John Fredette, and many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

She was reunited in Heaven with her husband Jerome Hoelscher, daughter Linda Bonner, parents Edward and Leola Sullivan, brothers Phelan and William Sullivan, and sisters Joanne Egbert and Mary Ellen Volk.

Visitation will be held on July 24, 2025, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at Sawyer George Funeral Home, with a rosary recited at 7:00 p.m.

A Catholic Funeral Mass will be celebrated on July 25, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Violet, Texas, with burial to follow at St. Anthony’s Cemetery. A reception will be held in the church hall.

In honor of Marguerite’s life, donations may be made to the Violet Historical Society or Disabled Veterans, two causes close to her heart.