Amy Marchewka Death, Obituary – Amy Pretorius, age 40, of Iowa City, passed suddenly on June 15, 2022 at The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics as a result of difficulties she experienced during a surgery that she had chosen to undergo on her own terms. A memorial gathering for friends and family will be held on Wednesday, June 22, 2022 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at The Celebration Farm, 4696 Robin Woods Ln NE, Iowa City, IA 52240. A brief service will begin at 11:00 AM to commemorate the life of a remarkable woman Amy’s parents, William Ganoe and Cyndi Olson, brought her into the world on September 14, 1981 in Davenport, Iowa.
She spent her childhood in Eldridge, where she later went to North Scott High School before transferring to West Branch High School. She went on to graduate from the University of Iowa College of Nursing with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. Before pursuing her passion for building and designing homes, Amy worked as a Registered Nurse at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City. You can read more about her background there. She started working for Peninsula Development Company, and the excitement of her work convinced her that a career in construction was exactly what she was destined to accomplish with her life.
Following a decade and a half of service at the Peninsula, Amy launched her own homebuilding business, Elevation Homebuilders, in 2017. As a result of the company’s success, they were given a number of honors, including the top three People’s Choice honors in the 2019 Greater Iowa City Area Parade of Homes, the Remodelers Parade Awards in both 2019 and 2020, and the Builders’ Excellence Award in 2020.
Amy was a very involved member of her community. One of her favorite things to do was to talk to other ladies about her hobby of building houses and to encourage them to find something that they enjoy doing. She served as Chair of the Iowa City Board of Adjustments, HOA President of the Peninsula Neighborhood Association, and as a collaborator on the Women Build 12 project that was organized by the Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity. She was a member of The Greater lowa City Area Home Builders Association, the HBA Legislative Committee, and the HBA Women’s Council.
On August 14, 2010, Amy wed the man who would become her soul mate, Adam Pretorius, and she would eventually give birth to an active and adored son named William. The position of a loving mother to her son William was the one that Amy took the most delight in performing, much more so than any of her other responsibilities. She liked getting dressed up and going out to dinner, but she didn’t mind skipping the makeup when she had to do things like install a toilet, change the oil in her truck, or mow the yard.
She is survived by her husband Adam Pretorius of Iowa City, IA and their son William; father William (Kathy) Ganoe of Eldridge, IA; mother Cindi (Eric) Olson of Iowa City, IA; sister and best friend Keri Ganoe (John Hogren) of Iowa City, IA; brother Bryan Doxsee (Megan Renison) of Lake Wood, CA; paternal grandparents Marilyn (Harvey) Ganoe of Jefferson, IA; and several extended family members and friends.
Her maternal grandparents, Darlene and Roy Shotwell, had passed away before to her passing away.