S. Erin Leah Colgan OSB

S. Erin Leah Colgan, OSB, 58, died on January 20, 2024. A wake service will be held at 7:00 PM on Thursday, January 25, 2024 and the Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 AM, on Friday, January 26, both in Bishop Marty Memorial Chapel in Yankton, South Dakota. Burial will be in the monastery cemetery.   Arrangements are under the direction of the Wintz & Ray Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Yankton.  A livestream of the wake and funeral can be found at https://www.youtube.com/@shmpublicrelations5390/streams

Erin was born July 10, 1965, to James and Alice (Scott) Colgan in Fremont, Nebraska, and was the second of four children. She was raised on an acreage two miles north of North Bend, Nebraska, and attended Cotterel Elementary School and North Bend Public School, graduating in 1983. She attended Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business and Education, with a Computer Science Endorsement in 1987. After graduation, Erin worked with the University of Nebraska Foundation in Lincoln, Nebraska as an annual giving and information specialist. It was during her time in Lincoln that she met the Benedictine Sisters of Yankton and included the Benedictines in her search for her life vocation.

 Erin entered Sacred Heart Monastery on August 23, 1992. She became a novice on August 5, 1993, made her first profession on August 7, 1994, and her final profession on August 2, 1997.  S. Erin began her community ministry in 1994 as Assistant Registrar at Mount Marty College. She then worked as the Registrar from 1996 to 2004. S. Erin attended the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, Minnesota, receiving her Juris Doctor of Law degree in 1997. She practiced law at East River Legal Services in Sioux Falls, South Dakota from 2008 to 2012, and enjoyed serving those in need. Returning to Yankton and Mount Marty in 2013, she was the Compliance Officer until 2015. Most recently, S. Erin’s ministry was at Sacred Heart Monastery in the Business Office and managing the Monastery Gift Shop.

 S. Erin was a quiet, steady presence who lived the scripture adage, “For everything there is a season…” as she searched for truth in her daily life. She was devoted to her family and treasured family time. In her leisure time, she worked on crossword puzzles and enjoyed a good card game. She also knitted useful things to give away to others. 

 S. Erin is survived by her Benedictine Sisters; her father, James Colgan of Fremont, NE; brother, Derick (Jill) Colgan of Nebraska City, NE; sisters, Anne (Dave) Webb of Ventura, CA and Heather (Philip) Mead of Sioux Falls, SD. She is preceded in death by her mother, Alice Colgan and nephew, Holden Mead.