AGNES ALBINA MILLER-PEPOON

Agnes Albina Hejlik Miller Pepoon Agnes A. Miller-Pepoon, 91 of Devils Lake formerly of Brocket, ND passed away on Friday, March 1, 2013 at the Heartland Care Center, Devils Lake with family and friends at her side. Mass of the Resurrection will be held on Friday, March 8, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Devils Lake. Fr. C.F. Wilhelm will celebrate the Mass and burial will be in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the Gilbertson Funeral Home, Devils Lake on Thursday, March 7th from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. with a Rosary and Scripture Service at 5:00 p.m. The Rosary will be led by the Catholic Daughters of the Americas. Visitation on Friday will be at the church one hour prior to the funeral Mass. Agnes was born March 2, 1921, in Lillehoff Township near Brocket, ND, to Eman Hejlik and Mary (Bosh) Hejlik. She attended Brocket Public School and graduated from high school in 1939. She worked at various jobs in the Devils Lake area, then moved to Chicago during WWII and worked four years. The day after the war ended she moved back to Lawton, ND, and worked in her sisters' cafe. She married Vernon Miller, an area farmer, in 1947. They farmed and raised their three children west of Lawton. Vernon died of cancer in 1976. At that time she lived in Devils Lake and came to discover a new, personal dimension of her Catholic faith as she participated in various faith-related activities - TEC, Cursillo, Catholic Daughters, Life in the Spirit, Right to Life. She traveled to attend spiritual retreats and gatherings including Women's Aglow, Pecos School of Spiritual Direction in NM, Medjugorge, Yugoslavia, International Charismatic Conference in Dublin, Ireland. Her hobbies ranged from plaster casting to needlework, Scrabble, card playing, puzzles, crosswords and reading; she gardened for pleasure and necessity. Her many hours volunteering, and helping others, gave her joy and great satisfaction - her lifelong dream would have been to become a nurse. Whatever she was involved in she did wholeheartedly. Agnes' rebirth of faith occurred at about age 59, after which she was totally committed to following and serving her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and helping others discover their own personal relationship with Jesus. Her legacy is one of Faith, Family and Friends. At age 70, in 1992, she married Ed Pepoon. Their lives together centered on faith and pro-life activities. Ed died in 1995. Agnes treasured her seven grandchildren and followed their activities, delighting in the uniqueness of each one. She is survived by daughter Susan (Mark) Hoffert, Rugby, Dennis (Judy) Miller, Lawton, and Glen Miller, Devils Lake, and her seven grandchildren: Nicole Miller, Ypsilanti, MI; Rebekah (Lucas) Martin, Napoleon; Miriam (Steve) Rolczynski, Fargo; Jayson Miller, Madison, WI; John Miller, Detroit, MI; Adam (Jill) Hoffert, Fargo; Bridget Hoffert, Grand Forks; and great grandchildren, Dominic and Chiara Rolczynski, Jordan Hoffert, Caleb and soon to enter this life, baby girl Martin; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law: Clarence Miller, Cecil & Marge Miller, Florence Retterath, Rosemary Miller, Leona Hejlik; and many cousins and nieces and nephews. Preceding her in death: her husbands, Vernon Miller and Ed Pepoon; her eight brothers and sisters Helen Pecka, Bill Hejlik, Christine Bina, Joe Hejlik, Rose Seykora, Emma Becker, Mary Schroeder, Eman Hejlik. The family wishes to extend sincere appreciation for all who have so lovingly cared for Agnes during the years she needed assistance - those at Lake Country Manor, Good Samaritan, Rolette Community Care Center, Heartland Care Center, Mercy Hospital. Thank you also to the physicians, nurses and healthcare providers caring for her health needs; to the many priests and ministers who tended to Mom's spiritual needs. To you, and to all who visited, prayed, entertained and generally enlivened and enriched her life - may you be blessed by God.