Marie Lena (Hornyik) Pickerill

April 24, 1970 – March 21, 2022

Marie Lena (Hornyik) Pickerill, of Pueblo West, Colo., passed away suddenly on March 21, 2022 while on a trip with girlfriends in Pagosa Springs, Colo.

She was born on April 24, 1970 in Blacksburg, Va. to Karl & Irene Hornyik and grew up in Corvallis, Ore.

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from Tulane University and ultimately earned a PhD in Athletic Training from Oregon State University. She met John while working at Purdue University and they married in 2004. They had their two children, Jonas and Maddie and raised them in Crawfordsville, Ind. until moving the family to Pueblo West, Colo. in 2017 so that she could pursue a position teaching Athletic Training at Colorado State University-Pueblo.

Mrs. Pickerill loved skiing, camping, hiking, her cats and decorating the house at Christmas. She and John really enjoyed gardening together and preserving their harvests to share with family and friends, especially spaghetti sauce. She was an amazingly outgoing, intelligent person who could strike up a conversation with a total stranger and make friends in minutes. She was active at St. Paul’s Catholic Church. She had a beautiful voice and loved to sing at Mass.

Survivors include her husband, John Pickerill; their children, Jonas (15), Maddie (12) and step-son Jack (age 26 of Harrisonburg, Va.); mother, Irene of Corvallis, Ore.; her sister, Galena (Chris) of Sandy, Utah; brother, Karl (Neysa) and their girls Beyza (15) and Lydia (16) of Seattle, Wash.; uncle, Chester and aunt, Daiva; and, cousin Ingrid of Chicago, Ill.

She is preceded in death by her father, Karl; and cousin, Andrea.

There will be a Rosary Saturday, March 26 at 9:30 at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, followed immediately by a funeral Mass, with a private interment to follow in Chicago. A reception will follow the Mass at the church. Arrangements are being made by Montgomery & Steward Funeral Home with online condolences available. Donations can be made in honor of Marie to the Heart Health Foundation (hearthealthfoundation.org).