Twila Renville | 1940 - 2023
Obituaries-Mobridge / Posted May 31, 2023 | 9:25 AM / 183 views
Funeral services for Twila (Smith) Renville, 82, of Eagle Butte will be at 10 AM CT, Friday, June 2, 2023, at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Whitehorse. Burial will be at the church cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home of Mobridge. Wake services will be held at 7 PM CT on Thursday at the church. Twila passed Saturday, May 27, 2023, at Monument Health Hospice in Rapid City.
Twila Eileen Smith-Means-Renville, 82 began her journey May 27, 2023. Twila was born on June 21, 1940, in Pierre, SD to Gilford L Smith and Myrtle His Horse is Fast – Smith. She grew up in the Old Cheyenne River Agency before it was flooded in 1960 and traveled with her parents as her father worked for Pacific Railroad to Pierre and Rapid City, South Dakota. She attended school on the Cheyenne River Agency and graduated in 1959.
In 1959, she left the Old Cheyenne Agency with the encouragement of her father and applied for an off-reservation educational program known as the relocation program of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), then traveled by train to Los Angeles, California where she attended a BIA sponsored educational institution and acquired secretary skills and was employed by various Insurance Companies in the Los Angeles area. While attending school, she met and married her first husband, Russell Charles Means and with this union they had two children, a daughter Sherry Jean Means, and son Walter Dale “Hank” Means.
In 1966, Twila met, and married Loren Wayne Renville and they had one daughter, Veronica – Jedicka (Renville-Means) and became a housewife while Lauren worked for Rockwell International as a Civil Engineer. After the death of her second husband in 1968, Twila worked for the Social Security Administration office in Downey, California. Later, in 1977, she became a Candy Striper Volunteer for the La Palma Medical Center in La Palma, California.
In 1980, Twila moved back to South Dakota and worked for various insurance companies in Rapid City, as a secretary/temporary worker and soon started working for the Native American Heritage Association (NAHA) from 1993 – 2004, as a Customer Service Representative. After 11 years, she retired and moved to the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation and worked under the Wisdom Keepers Program for the Cheyenne River – Oglala Lakota College Center as a receptionist.
Twila was proceeded in death by her husband Loren Renville, brother Cecil Smith, sister Damaris Smith, mother Myrtle His Horse is Fast-Smith, Father Gilford (Jenkins) Smith, her brother Delmar Smith, and one niece Rita Smith and grandson Christopher Smith.
Twila is survived by her sister Gloria Smith of Promise, South Dakota, her children, Sherry Means of Eagle Butte, South Dakota, Walter (Hank) Means, Flandreau, South Dakota and Veronica Renville-Jedicka, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She is also survived by her nieces and nephew Abbie Smith, Barbara Smith, and Murphy Smith. She is survived by her grandchildren, James Twist, Julia and Twila White Bull (twins), Wakangli Kiksuya Means, Charmaine Means (LeClaire), Troy Red Cloud II, Ryan Renville, Michael Pettigrew, Henrietta Means, Loren Acosta and Jennifer Acosta-Lucero, and great grandchildren, Ohitika White Bull, Ohinniya White Bull, Troy Red Cloud III, Miracle Red Cloud, Leticia Red Cloud, Miles Renville and Royce Renville, Aaden Means, Jara Means, Jayla Means, Kristian Smith, Sherry Sainz-Reyna, Erica Sainz, Kaitlyn Smith, Kristyn Smith, Jaxtin Smith, Robert Sainz and Michael Lopez. And her great grandchildren Troy Red Cloud IV, Genesis Ajada Thomas, Valerie Marie Janis, Razi’el Richard Janis, Justin Delmar Janis Cheyenne Reyna, David Reyna, Sesillee Herrera, Sabrina Herrera, Salena Herrera, Seleste Herrera, and Wakinyan Smith. And great-great grandsons Kayson Jax Thomas and Keith Red Cloud.
Kesling Funeral Home is entrusted with the burial arrangements and The Cheyenne River Episcopal Church Mother Allen will be officiating the life of Twila Smith, who will be forever missed and loved by her family and those who knew her.