Marvin Spotted Eagle, 70, of Wagner

Funeral services were 10 AM, Sunday, October 3, 2021 at the YST South Housing Community Center Gym. Burial was in St. Phillips Episcopal Cemetery in Lake Andes. Wake services were Thursday at the Community Center. Peters Funeral Home in Wagner was in charge of arrangements.

Our beloved hignaku, sunkana, tibdo, deksi, unkanna, a'te, cicesci and wotakuye; mounted his spirit horse in the early morning hours of September 29, 2021 at the age of 70 winters. He was born on the Ihanktonwan makoce on July 8, 1951 to Hazel Spotted Eagle; as a proud member of the old White Swan Community. He was raised and loved deeply by Kunsi Insane Was'te Win, Blanche Oldman Spotted Eagle (who lived to be 104), Wm Spotted Eagle, Henry Spotted Eagle and many, many tunwin (aunties). He bids goodbye to his beloved life partner, Bernadette Zephier, his children American Horse, Isnana Waste Win and their 16 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren, whom he loved deeply and who loved him just as much and many special nieces, nephews and other grandchildren. Siblings who will greet him in the stars are Frank Frederick, Jr., Betty Gross, Roxanne Spotted Eagle and two baby brothers. Siblings who mourn his passing are Maurice Drapeau, Caroline Marie Lamont, Barb Ross and Faith Spotted Eagle and all of their children. He expanded his beloved family by marrying into the Zephier Tiyospaye, who also greatly mourn his passing. Marvin passed at his residence.

He loved watching his grandchildren play football, wrestle and play basketball. He was the "cheerful face of Wagner Indian Health Service" as he greeted our tribal members every day on the phone and at the front desk. His favorite pastime was to give people nicknames. He was the modern name giver. He was a "boarding school survivor" and was passionate about people learning and doing something about the abuses that children suffered at boarding school. He attended briefly at Marty Indian School, Rosebud Boarding School and Pierre Indian Learning School. He chuckled about borrowing a farmer's tractor to leave boarding school and was thankful to that farmer. He ran away from all of them mostly because he treasured the old "Odakota way" that he was raised with and he fought for that way of life. He was raised speaking Dakota and never forgot. He was committed to the Sundance (Wiwang Waci Oyanke). He was a good warrior that way, with his beloved family. As a grandchild he was trained to be a good "unkanna" grandpa as he helped care for his 100 year old grandparents; Zina (Wm) and Isnana (Blanche) even as a child helping with a half acre garden. He is descended from the Deloria Tiyospaye through his great great great grandmother "Judiwin Deloria". The Spotted Eagle name came from his grandfather with the original name "Wanbdi Gdeska" who was the eagle catcher for the Mega Ska, White Swan Ospaye band. He is also descended from the Wahcayanka tiyospaye. In his early days he was an excellent baller and played with koda's like Jimmie Stone and many others in basketball tourneys.

He was a Dakota nomad in his younger years and lived in urban areas such as Sioux City, Omaha, Sioux Falls, Minneapolis, Spokane and Seattle WA and he relished traveling, including hitchhiking and railriding. He lived and worked with his sister Faith, whom he called "Fade" in Spokane, WA and attended Broadcasting school and finished with a certificate. His dream was to work at a radio station and he had a good voice for it that benefited the Indian Health Service Clinic. He also worked as a hired hand for a Montana baseball team owned by a friend of the family. After a long road of hardships he chose the road to sobriety on the Red Road and entered the health field. We know there is a celebration in the star camps for his Dakota life.