Beatrice Charging Eagle | 1946 - 2023
Obituaries-Mobridge / Posted Mar 13, 2023 | 5:35 PM / 397 views
Beatrice Charging Eagle, 77, of Cherry Creek, passed away Sunday, March 12, 2023, at Monument Health, Rapid City.
Funeral services will be 10:00 a.m. MDT, Saturday, March 25, 2023, at the Cherry Creek Gym with burial to follow. Wake services will be 7:00 p.m., Friday, March 24, 2023, at the gym, with a procession from the hill east of town at 4:00 p.m.
Beatrice Joyce Charging Eagle was born February 14, 1946, to Steve Charging Eagle and Ruth Little Star. She was delivered by her grandmother Ruth (Yellow Hawk) Thunder Hoop and Elsie Uses Many at the log cabin of her grandparents, John Little Star and Mary Bullman (Good Horse Woman) near Red Scaffold. When she was an infant, her mother passed away. Her father took her to be raised by her grandmother Ruth and aunts: Drucillia Widow, Rose Thunder Hoop, and Eunice Little Thunder. Bea attended school in Red Scaffold and grew up riding her horse Brownie with her cousin Prairie Rose Iron Hawk. As she got older her Little Star grandparents bought her a car. She was so happy with this gift, she would be seen driving with her cousins, Norma Black Moon, Leah Black Moon, Marie Bear Stops, and Mary Jane Bear Stops. Bea attended high school at the Old Agency and then transferred to Cheyenne Eagle Butte High School. She received her GED and took college classes at Eagle Butte Lakota College, Augustana College, Black Hills State University, and Salish Kootenai College.
Bea started working at the Eagle Butte Truck Stop as a waitress. She then relocated to Pine Ridge, SD and worked in a fishhook factory for a while. Later, she moved home to attend an accounting training school in Eagle Butte and made her final residence in Cherry Creek to work at the Sioux Stone Industry. Since this time, she had a daughter Dolly Josephine (Charging Eagle) Knife. Her special cousin Goldie (War Bonnet) Iron Hawk and her dad Steve helped her raise Dolly Jo. Bea married Albert Afraid of Hawk in 1968 and to this union Debra Sue (Afraid of Hawk) Charging Eagle was born. After her employment at the Sioux Stone, Bea worked for the CRST Head Start Program in Cherry Creek. Some may remember attending school in the basement of her house. While the new head start center was being built, she offered the basement of her home for classes to be held. Bea later became a Community Health Representative (CHR), where she dedicated 26 years of her life. During this time as a CHR, she would look after people in her community and utilized her own vehicle to transport patients to the hospital. The CHR’s back then were tasked with more than what a CHR is today. During her time, she had assisted with delivering babies and often transported trauma patients to the E.R. in Eagle Butte without any medical assistance. They were expected to function as what today’s paramedics and home health nurses do. She made home visits and always checked on the elderly and sick patients in her area. This is where she made a lot of her close friendships and lifelong relationships. Bea then retired as an employee of the Takini School F.A.C.E. program where she contributed the last 10 years of her career.
Bea was a very independent woman and had many talents and hobbies in her life. In her younger years, she enjoyed playing fastpitch on her cousin Goldie’s team. She had a love for riding horses that started when she was a little girl and this passion followed her into her adult years, where she traveled to rodeos with her tall white horse named Speedy. Speedy was a gift from her uncle Owen Hale, and as soon as she could, she started training him for barrels. She loved to barrel race and would be seen loading Speedy up into the that back of her pickup box with a cage around it and she was off to her next rodeo. She always attended the 4 Corner Rodeo, Eleven Mile Rodeo, White River Rodeo, Bull Creek Rodeo and the Red Scaffold and Cherry Creek Rodeos. Bea was also known for her baking, she made wedding cakes, birthday cakes and loved cooking. She always made sure there was enough food for everyone, and always shared food with those that came to visit at her home. You can see this hobby of hers was passed down to her special granddaughter Savannah, who is also known for her baking and cooking skills. Bea would also mechanic on her own vehicles and when she couldn’t fix the issue, she always knew a local person who could. She also loved shopping at thrift stores in the Pierre and Rapid City area. However, the talent that she is known for, is her craftsmanship in beading and sewing. She was the best seamstress around and would often be asked to tailor clothes, dresses as well as, make clothes and Pendleton jackets. She always made her grandchildren and others clothing, regalia, pillows, blankets and did beadwork for them.
Bea always looked out for everyone, especially those in the Cherry Creek community. She was a mentor to those younger than her and always shared her knowledge and the Lakota way of life. She also wasn’t afraid to tell it like it was, no matter who you were. She was a very honest and forthright person and believed that if she could do it, so could you. Her home was very inviting, and she loved having visitors. Some of her most frequent visitors were those that stopped by to buy pop, chips, candy, and cigarettes. She had her very own “C-store” in the community and allowed people to utilize her phone for important phone calls. She always fed the police officer’s and created special friendship with them. She wasn’t afraid to give them an earful either when they would stop her for speeding. They were often left with a lecture on how they can do better patrolling the Cherry Creek community in the evenings and nights.
She was the best (great) grandma and cared for all of her (great) grandchildren deeply. She was a very proud Unci to all of her Takoja’s for graduating college and furthering their education. She kept newspaper clippings and small memorabilia for all their accomplishments and special events throughout their lives. Even into their adult years, she always looked out for them and never missed a Christmas present for each one of them. She helped raise all her granddaughters and as her youngest granddaughter Savannah got older, she continued to live with her grandma and became her caregiver. Wherever Bea was, you would see Savannah and Santana not too far behind her. Her great Takoja Santana (Tina) kept her going. Tina was very special to her, as she was born with a medical issue. She took special care of her and as Tina got older, Tina took special care of her grandma Bea. Bea loved having family gatherings at the Felix Creek Ranch. She always made sure there was more than enough food for all to take home. She enjoyed watching her grandchildren play outside in the country and planned on one day moving her and Tina out to her land on the Felix Creek Ranch.
She liked attending the Indian Relay races and made the Fasthorse Relay team their ribbon shirts. She also enjoyed the visits and phone calls from her hunka brothers, Russell Leaf, Floyd Annis and Dino Holy Eagle.
Bea lived a simple and humble life and will be greatly missed by her family, friends, relatives, and community.
Bea is survived by her daughters: Dolly Jo Knife and Debbie Charging Eagle; grandkids: Jordan Knife, Phil Knife, Brittany Brewer, Julie (Yardley) LaPlante, Savannah Charging Eagle, Allison Red Buffalo; 22 great grandkids; brother, Richard Charging Eagle; sisters: Geraldine Condon and Valarie Charging Eagle; hunka brothers: Dino Holy Eagle, Floyd Annis, Russell Leaf; sister cousins: Delilah Phelps and Glenda Thunder Hoop.
She was preceded in death by her father, Steve Charing Eagle; mother, Ruth Little Star; brothers: Marvin Starr and Tom Charging Eagle; sister, Stephanie Charging Eagle; nephews: Kerwin Condon, Wanbli Charging Eagle, and Jerrod Lamar Charging Eagle; grandkids: Asa George Knife and Cuwe Charging Eagle; uncles: Ted Phelps Sr. and Owen Hale; aunts: Drucilla Widow, Rose Thunder Hoop, and Eunice Little Thunder; and special cousin, Goldie Iron Hawk.
Luce Funeral Home of Gettysburg has been entrusted with Beatrice’s arrangements.