Sara Ganje, 1947-2021
Obituaries-Mobridge / Posted Nov 30, 2021 | 10:52 AM / 702 views
Mass of Christian Burial for Sara Ganje, 74, of Eagle Butte will be at 11 AM, Thursday, December 2, 2021, at the All Saints Catholic Church in Eagle Butte. Burial will be at the Eagle Butte Cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home of Mobridge. Visitation will be one hour prior to services.
Sara Lynn Ganje entered the Spirit World on Saturday, November 27, 2021 at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD.
Sara Lynn Ganje was born November 9, 1947 to Samuel Arpan and Eudora Azure on the Old Cheyenne Agency. She was one of seven siblings, including three sisters and three brothers. When she was a young girl, she lost her Mother which was very traumatic for her, but her loving Father did a great job of raising his children.
Sara attended school in Eagle Butte, SD, where she graduated in 1968. Later that year, Sara married her husband of 53 years, David Ganje. Together they raised three children: Loren, Lavon and Jared.
Sara enjoyed being a wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She always made the holidays special for her family with her baking, cooking and decorating. She enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren and would have fun scaring them with her costumes on Halloween. In her younger years, she decorated cakes for her friends on special occasions, and made many bikini cakes in her day! She always enjoyed a good laugh and making people laugh. She loved to tease and joke with anyone that she met; at times, you never knew what she might say. Her light hearted nature drew people to her and she loved having them around. She made sure that anyone who entered her house felt at home and she was always willing to help, often providing transportation, food, support and guidance.
Sara began working for the Cheyenne Eagle Butte School system in 1979. After working for 25 years, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe made an Executive Proclamation in recognition of her accomplishments and identified May 17, 2004 as Sara L. Arpan Ganje Day. She continued to work at the school another 14 years until her retirement on June 29, 2018.
Sara is survived by her husband, David Ganje; her three children: Loren (Dawn) Ganje; Camryn, Reese & Logyn; Lavon (Gerald) Booth; Jace (Becky), Payton & Dixon; Jared (Savannah) Ganje; Tristan, Isabella, Tia, Kya & Mason; great-grandchildren: Jalee, Blake & Jensyn Booth; her sister Donna Iverson, nieces Cathy Iverson, Laura Schad, Kerrilyn Arpan & Sammi Cox, and nephew Mike Arpan.
She is preceded in death by her two granddaughters, Ashlyn Booth & Hannah Ganje; her brothers, Anthony Arpan, Michael Arpan & Sammy Arpan; her sisters, Mary Arpan & Janet Drause; father, Samuel Arpan and mother, Eudora Arpan.
Pallbearers are Jace Booth (grandson), Dixon Booth (grandson), Tristan Ganje (grandson), Gary Cudmore (nephew), Bob Walters (cousin), and Max Ganje (cousin). Ushers are Ashley Arpan and Vincent Dupris.
Honorary pallbearers are Heather Allen, Karla Abbott, Diana Arpan, Sheila Ganje, Hank Joens, Susie Payne, Lucy Ganje, Linda Lawrence, Debby Brewer, Cynthia Charger, Mary Marshall, special sister Mona Demery, and Pete Ragnone; the caring staff at the Eagle Butte Dialysis, Eagle Butte IHS, and Avera McKennan; and many more friends and relatives too numerous to mention, including several Godchildren.