Mary Ann (Piroutek) George
From Stephanie Gnibus: My mom, Mary Ann George, passed away on November 25, 2025. It’s impossible to sum up what she meant to me, my siblings, and all her grandchildren. But perhaps a glimpse into her final days will give you a sense of the love that surrounded her.
Her room overflowed with people—we took roll call. My niece Stephanie shouted out each name, and everyone responded with a cheerful "Present!" or "Here!" Whenever someone new entered the room or joined a FaceTime, we'd insist on starting all over again—because every person mattered, and she needed to hear every single voice.
Then we named those gathered on the other side. We imagined my dad giving her a hug and a kiss, my grandma and grandpa George greeting her with a big plate of pasta with sugo, and her mom and dad chatting about cattle prices like they were back on the farm. We pictured her brothers, her sister-in-law and brothers-in-law, her best friend Rita from high school, and friends from her St. Pat's group spinning a Lazy Susan in heaven to see who'd pick up the dinner check, with my father-in-law Tom cracking jokes, as always. It gave us peace, knowing she'd walk into all that. Who could ask for a better welcome committee?
My mom was one of eight kids. At 18, she left the family farm in South Dakota, made her way to California, and built a life with my dad in Carlsbad.
She had an insatiable appetite for sports—the Padres, the Chargers, the Lakers, but especially her beloved Fighting Irish. She once recalled her first Notre Dame game against USC in 1959: "It rained so hard that most people left. Not me. I saw it all." She also lamented: "I would love to feel that excitement again, but I guess that is for youth."
But that loyalty—staying through the rain, through anything—was who she was, in the stadium and in life. She listened deeply, celebrated your joys, and shared your sorrows. When you hurt, she hurt. She quietly helped friends and family in profound ways—acts of kindness that aren't mine to share. She was all heart.
Most of all, she always showed up. "Mom, I need you" was all it took. She'd book a flight before the call was finished. Just before her 85th birthday, the day after a round of radiation for brain cancer, she flew across the country for my son Jack's graduation. She was so sick from the treatment that we could hardly get her out the door. She pushed through anyway, walking nearly a half mile in the rain from the car to her seat.
Three days before she died, she watched her last game: Notre Dame 70, Syracuse 7, one of Notre Dame’s highest-scoring games in recent history. Nodding along, she never switched the channel. All those years later, the excitement was still there. It turned out that thrill didn’t just belong to youth; it belonged to her.
We'll be honoring Mary Ann at a funeral mass at the San Luis Rey Mission in Oceanside, California, at 9:30 a.m. on January 3, 2026, followed by a reception at the family home. Thank you all for your love and support. It means the world.
Mary Ann (Piroutek) George was born July 21, 1939, at home in Jackson County, about a mile east of Belvidere, SD. She was the third of eight children (Joe, Gary, Mary Ann, Kay, Jack, Lee, Phyllis, and Danny) born to Kathryn (Kertzman) and Allen Piroutek.
For first and second grade, she walked from the country into Belvidere for School each day with her brothers, Joe and Gary. The family moved to Milesville in February of 1946 when Mary Ann was in second grade. She completed her second grade at the Milesville School just across the road from their house. For third and fourth grades, Mary Ann, Gary, and Joe would travel to Sturgis each week to go to school while boarding at St. Martin’s Catholic School. Fifth through eighth grade found Mary Ann and siblings back at the Milesville School, walking home each Noon for lunch around the Piroutek family table.
Mary Ann attended Philip High School, boarding in Philip to attend classes, graduating in 1958. The next year found her in Brookings, SD, at South Dakota State University. College wasn’t her thing, and two of her high school girlfriends had decided to go to Los Angelos for summer school. Mary Ann got home from school on Friday and left for California on Monday. Her dad took her to the Philip Bank where she borrowed $ 100 in her name. She arrived in Los Angelos on Saturday, started looking for a job on Monday, and went to work for Coca-Cola Bottling Company on Friday.
From Mary Ann in 1981: “My first baseball game I saw the Milwaukee Braves (now Atlanta Braves) play the Dodgers. Warren Spahn pitched. Eddie Mathews hit a home run. I think Hank Aaron did, too. The Braves, ‘my team’, won.”
Mary Ann stayed at Coca-Cola for over three years, until she married Dan George on August 18, 1962, at St. Augustine’s Catholic Church in Culver City, California, with Dan George’s brother, Joe, officiating as the priest. Dan and Mary Ann had three children, Christine Angela, Stephanie Lynn, and Daniel Vincent. Mary Ann eventually worked for P, G & E, Pacific Gas, and Electric, for many years. Dan and Mary Ann were members of St. Patrick’s Church in Carlsbad. Mary Ann helped make and serve many, many gallons of soup for the soup kitchen most every week. She also assisted with weddings and funerals at the Mission.
Mary Ann had the kindest heart and the sharpest mind. She knew all the family stories the best. After Dan’s passing on January 17, 2004, Mary Ann held her family tightly.
Besides her beloved husband, Dan, Mary Ann was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Joe on April 6, 2023, her brother Jack on March 17, 1976 (military helicopter crash), and her brother Lee, August 29, 1995.
Cherishing her memory are three children and their spouses and seven grandchildren: Christy (Rob) Howieson, Oceanside, CA, and their children, Stephanie (Dylan) Imlay, Gregory, and Daniel; Stephanie (Mark) Gnibus, Lake Tahoe, NV, and their children, Danielle, Jack and Will; and Danny V (Moira) George, Morgan Hill, CA, and their son, Julian. Also, Mary Ann’s sister Kay Turvey, LeSueur, MN; sister Phyllis (Rod) Hinman, Pinehurst, NC; brother Gary Piroutek, Philip, SD; brother Dan Piroutek, Milesville, SD.
Cards may be sent to Dan at 20308 Milesville Rd, Milesville SD 57553.
