Donovan Banley
September 14, 1954 ~ August 3, 2017
Donovan Duane Banley, 62, of Sioux Falls and formerly of Eagle Butte, passed away Thursday, August 3, 2017 at the Sioux Falls VA Medical Center.
Funeral services were held at 10:30 a.m., MDT, Friday, August 11, 2017 at the Old Agency Building, Eagle Butte. Burial followed in the Eagle Butte Cemetery, Eagle Butte, SD. A wake service was held at 7:00 p.m., MDT, Thursday, August 10, 2017 at the hall with visitation two hours prior.
Donovan Duane Banley was born September 14, 1954 in Pine Ridge, SD, to John and Stacie Bad Heart Bull. He was the youngest of eight children. The family spent time at Loneman Day School in Oglala, SD; where their dad was a teacher. They moved to the Dunseith Day School, in Dunseith, ND, in late 1954. In the summer of 1960, the family moved to Eagle Butte, SD. Duane grew up in Eagle Butte, attended school and graduated from Cheyenne-Eagle Butte High School in 1973.
After “knocking around” for a few years after high school, Duane joined the United States Marine Corps on September 14, 1978. After Basic Training, he attended Combat Engineer Training at Camp LeJeune, and was assigned to Co. B, 7th Engr Spt Bn, 1st Force Service Support Group (1 FSSG), 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, CA. Duane received the Expert Rifle Badge, the Good Conduct Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. He attained the rank of Lance Corporal and received an Honorable Discharge on January 22, 1984.
While in the Marine Corps, Duane met Rosie Torrez, a Registered Nurse, and they were married on March 14, 1981. Rosie was born to Jose Torrez and Rosa Garcia and she was of Mexican heritage. Duane and Rosie had no children of their own. Duane and Rosie were married for over 27 years.
After leaving the Corps, Duane and Rosie moved to the Los Angeles area. For the next 23 years, Duane drove 18-wheelers on many cross-country trips from California to Texas to Florida to New York and back again. Eventually, he decided to limit his truck driving to making short hauls in and around LA. Duane and Rosie moved to Sacramento, and then to Reno, NV where Duane worked on maintenance of the trucks and heavy equipment in the open-pit mines. While in Reno, Duane began attending the Sierra Bible Church (an EFCA church) and made the decision to invite the Lord into his heart and he made a conscious effort at sobriety. Rosie was a faithful wife and friend to Duane, and after an extended illness, she passed away on August 3, 2008. Duane had a difficult time coping with the loss of his wife and started drinking again.
After Rosie’s death, Duane drove a forklift for two years in an Army Supply Depot in California, 50 miles northwest of Reno. He had to look for work elsewhere and accepted a temporary job at the Indian Health Service Hospital in Rapid City, SD. He worked for 6 months at the Sioux San, and then he went to Aberdeen for a brief visit. He then moved to Sioux Falls for medical reasons. While in Sioux Falls, Duane found his way back into church and became a member of the First Evangelical Free Church of Sioux Falls. Duane’s health began a slow decline and in November of 2016, he was diagnosed with cirrhosis and admitted to the hospital. He spent 3 months in recuperation and healing in the VA Medical Center in Sioux Falls. After his release from the hospital, he just tried to enjoy life. He was only recently diagnosed with cancer that rapidly spread to his lungs.
Donovan Duane is survived by his older brothers: Thad (Pam) Banley of Aberdeen, and Ed Banley of Rapid City; and many nephews, nieces, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.
Duane was preceded in death by his loving wife, Rosie (Torrez) Banley; parents, John and Stacie (Eagle Staff) Bad Heart Bull; siblings: Thomas Dale Bad Heart Bull (died in infancy), Lowell Anthony Bad Heart Bull, Joyce Joan Banley, Leslie Gene Banley, and Leonard Lee Bad Heart Bull (died in infancy); paternal grandparents, Eli and Cecelia Bad Heart Bull of Oglala; and maternal grandparents, Thomas and Laura Eagle Staff of Red Scaffold.
Duane was an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.
Luce Funeral Chapel of Eagle Butte has been entrusted with D. Duane’s arrangements.
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Thanks for letting us get to know you and for serving our country….Fly high my friend.
We offer our hearts and prayers to the Banley family during this difficult time. I knew Duane when we were younger as he and his family lived down the street from us in Eagle Butte. I recall he went with my Dad and I to the ranch on several occasions as he learned to drive a manual shift pickup at the ranch. It’s good to see that time served him well in his profession. Duane’s older brother Thad was a longtime supervisor of mine in the IHS and we knew his wife Pam and children in Aberdeen, also know Duane’s older brother Ed who still works for IHS in Rapid City, we swap emails occasionally. God Bless the Banley family and grant them strength during this time. Take Care.