Pamella Sue (Opland) Sonnichsen was born Feb. 20, 1946, at Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls to AnnaMae (Johnson) and Allen Opland. A five-year survivor of pancreatic cancer, Pam died on Aug. 5, 2026, at Dougherty Hospice House.
Pam’s family will be present to greet friends for visitation on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, at George Boom Funeral Home & On-Site Crematory in Sioux Falls from 5 to 8 p.m. Her graveside service will be 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, at Woodlawn Cemetery in Sioux Falls. A memorial service celebrating her life will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, at First Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls.
Pam grew up in Pipestone, Minn., the middle sister to Judy and Mary. She graduated from Pipestone High School in 1964 and earned a bachelor of arts degree from Augustana College (now University) in 1968. While at Augustana, she met her future husband David (Dave) Sonnichsen. They were married on June 8, 1969, at First Lutheran Church in Pipestone, where Pam had been baptized and confirmed.
She began her teaching career in Anoka, Minn., and went on to teach in Yucca Valley, Calif., while Dave served in the Marine Corps. Upon her and Dave’s return to Sioux Falls, Pam served as the music teacher for countless students in the area including Edison Junior High; Garfield, Laura Wilder and South Sioux Elementary schools; Calvin Christian, Christian High School, St. Joseph Cathedral and Good Shepherd Lutheran. She was a member of the staff at Whittier Middle School for 34 years. In addition to teaching general music classes, Pam directed the Girls’ Chorus and “Special Edition” ensembles and led numerous variety shows and musicals. While teaching at Whittier, Pam earned her master of arts in education from the University of South Dakota in 1999.
Pam’s father was her first trumpet teacher, and she went on to play in his band and sing in his choir at Pipestone High School. In college, she was a member of the Augustana Brass Choir and Concert Band. She was honored to be featured as trumpet soloist on band tour during her senior year. Pam was a member of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, Rochester (Minn.) Symphony, and Austin (Minn.) Symphony Orchestra. A founding member and past-president of the Sioux Empire Brass Society (SEBS), she was grateful to rehearse and perform throughout her journey with cancer. Pam taught private trumpet lessons for over 60 years.
Pam was a member of First Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls for over 50 years. She played her trumpet in the brass ensemble, sang in the choirs, directed the Jubilant Singers choir for a couple of years and was involved in Sarah Circle and Women of the ELCA. She was proud to have played her trumpet for the Easter sunrise service for nearly 70 years, including an impromptu rendition of “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today” on the doorstep of their home in April 2020.
She was a member of South Dakota Education Association, National Association for Music Education (formerly Music Educators National Association), American Choral Directors Association, International Trumpet Guild and Lincoln High School Band Boosters, among others. In addition to serving on the Alumni Council for Augustana, Pam was the class agent for the class of 1968 for almost 60 years. For her dedication to Augustana, she was honored with the Alumni Achievement Award in 2018.
In addition to being an educator, musician, friend and woman of deep faith, Pam’s most important role was wife, mother and grandmother. She expressed her strong love for and commitment to her family as she hosted numerous family gatherings, attended concerts and sporting events and created “cousin camp” for her grandchildren. Everyone she encountered was met with her heartwarming smile, joy, kindness and uplifting spirit.
Grateful for Pam’s life, especially her five bonus years, are her husband, David; children Kari (Chris) Marshall, Kristen (Todd) Andrix, Joel (Morgan), Katherine and Kimberly (Casey) Skatvold; grandchildren Robert and Jonathan Marshall, Annika, Addison (Carley Malm), Brynn and Soren Andrix, Stella and Opland Sonnichsen and HattieMae and Cassandra Skatvold; brother-in-law Richard Springer; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Allen and AnnaMae Opland; sisters, Judy Opland and Mary Opland Springer; and sisters- and brothers-in-law Jeanne and Royce Hausman and Judith and Kenneth Schmuck.
In lieu of flowers, please direct memorials to: Blood Cancer United, the Sioux Empire Brass Society or another charity of your choice.
Celebrate a life with the whole community in The Dakota Scout. Contact obits@thedakotascout.com to have your loved one remembered today.