Rebecca "Becky" Ann McDugle
Rebecca “Becky” McDugle, 51, of Sioux Falls, SD, passed away on Monday, January 26, 2026, at Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls. Her memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at George Boom Funeral Home & On-Site Crematory in Sioux Falls. Visitation with the family present will take place from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, January 30, 2026, also at the funeral home. Burial will take place at Hills of Rest Cemetery in Sioux Falls. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the South Dakota Nurses Foundation in Becky’s name. https://www.sdcommunityfoundation.org/make-donation?fund=Becky%20McDugle%20Memorial%20Scholarship%20Fund
Some people are born to comfort others – to sit beside them, hold their hands, listen and soothe their pain, ease their troubled souls. Rebecca Ann – Becky, Beck, Sissy – our daughter, our sister, our mother, our wife, our friend, was one of those people.
Born April 15, 1974, in New Ulm, Minnesota, to Helen and Paul Sellner, Becky was a child who loved to explore – fearlessly catching salamanders with her friend, Bev, climbing to the top of the shed, and once even freezing flies in an ice cube tray. To this day, no one is sure why, other than it may have been the beginnings of her storied medical career or her lifelong love of Halloween.
After her family moved to South Dakota, Becky attended Valley Springs Elementary and later graduated from Brandon Valley High School. She played the flute, sang in the choir, and nurtured friendships that continued until the day she died. After graduating in 1992, Becky’s beautiful daughter, Isabelle, arrived. Years later, Becky, a seriously phobic traveler, would marvel at her fiercely independent daughter who thought nothing of driving cross country or flying to South Korea all by herself.
At her very core, Becky was a nurse. From the early 2000’s on, she never stopped learning, always seeking ways to grow so she could care for others more fully. She did this while working full time in Avera’s ICU and still finding the energy to take on part-time shifts in urgent care and family practice. Later she would share her wisdom and steady guidance as an ICU nurse educator, quietly shaping countless careers along the way. In 2010, Becky served as a nurse practitioner for Surgical Institute until 2025 when cancer finally made it impossible for her to continue. Deeply respected by her colleagues, she was known for her vast knowledge, her unwavering support, and, most of all, her compassion - a presence that will surely be missed and not easily replaced.
If a life well lived is measured by the number of friends who show up, Becky was wealthy beyond comparison. These last weeks in hospice, her friends, some from childhood, some from her professional world, spoke of her ability to see the best in others, of never remembering her utter a negative word about another. She gave everyone grace and asked for nothing in return. She impacted so many people that the hospice nurses had to start limiting visitors.
The numerous friends and family in her life feel lucky to have been loved by Becky. Her passing leaves our hearts broken, yet her beautiful spirit reminds all of us to be a little kinder, a little more forgiving, a little more tolerant because if nothing else, her life proves we are all here so very very briefly.
Grateful for having shared her life are her husband, John, of Sioux Falls, SD; daughter, Isabelle Nichols of Montpelier, VT; mother, Helen Sellner of Tucson, AZ; sister, Susan (Jeff) Zueger of Naturita, CO; brothers, Scott (Karen) Krebsbach of Sleepy Eye, MN, and Brian Sellner of Tucson, AZ; nieces, Lily Briggs (Patrick Schultz) of Nucla, CO, Samantha (Reid) Eastvold of Hanska, MN, Taryn Schlittenhart of Tucson, AZ, Peyton Sellner of Tucson, AZ, and Nayla Sellner of Tucson, AZ; nephews, Alex Krebsbach of Sleepy Eye, MN, and Shayne Sellner of Flagstaff, AZ; great nieces and nephews, Jaycee, Bryar and Layne Eastvold, Rainn Morlock, and Sawyer Schultz; and step daughter, Izabella McDugle of Sioux Falls, SD.
Becky was preceded in death by her father, Paul Sellner.