Henry "Bud" Ducheneaux

Henry Dale Ducheneaux, 77, of Eagle Butte, SD, passed away on Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at his home.

Mass of Christian Burial was held at 10:00 a.m. MDT, Monday, March 28, 2011 at All Saints Catholic Church, Eagle Butte. Burial followed in the Ducheneaux Family Cemetery, Swiftbird, SD. A wake service was held at 7:00 p.m., Sunday, March 27, 2011 at the church.

Henry was born at The Old Agency Hospital on September 10, 1933 to Frank and Ellen (Babe) Ducheneaux.  He grew up at The Old Agency.  At an early age his Grandma called him Buddy, eventually it caught on with everybody, and led to him being called Bud throughout his life. 

Bud grew up helping his father run their families ranch.  He believed in hard work, even from an early age, and was often thought of as the ranch’s “foreman”.  He spent a lot of time breaking horses and swimming at the river.  By the age of 14, he was driving fence posts with a 16 pound maul.  He had ten siblings to keep him busy in his spare time. 

Bud attended school at the Cheyenne River Boarding School at The Old Agency.  He graduated in 1951 as Valedictorian of his class.

October 15, 1951 he joined the U.S. Army becoming a Paratrooper. He did his basic training at Fort Benning, GA.  Followed by his Paratrooper training at Fort Bragg, NC where he served three years.  He jumped out of at least 40-50 airplanes during his military career. 

Bud worked a short time as a Field Man for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Rehab Program in Eagle Butte, SD for about 2 years.

On January 7, 1955 Bud married the love of his life and best friend Rita Pauline LeBeau.  They decided to live a quiet life working on the ranch they made home.  They had six children Allen, Wade, Henry, Marsha, Carol, and Rita (Pete).

Bud lived his life as a rancher, working hard every day of his life.  Their first home was at Stove Creek, then moving to Willow Creek, they ended up making a nice home in Armstrong in 1974.  Bud enjoyed living a quiet country lifestyle spending most of his time outside.  Their home became the main gathering place for all their children, and eventually the grandchildren that soon followed.  They made every holiday special for their entire family.  Bud and Pauline welcomed anybody that came for a visit and made them feel right at home.

In 1997, Bud decided to move to Eagle Butte, SD to spend more time with Pauline, who worked in town during the week.  He made Eagle Butte his final home.

Bud enjoyed living a ranchers life, spending time with his family and friends.  He had a green thumb like no other, spending most of his time outdoors.  Bud and Pauline seemed to work in perfect harmony in the kitchen, making meals and desserts that are truly unforgettable.  Bud was a perfectionist who did everything exactly so.  There was probably never a day where he was late for anything.  They enjoyed traveling, attending Pow-Wows, and the occasional casino.  He loved visiting with family and friends.  His stories of past times and amazingly vast knowledge of everything will be greatly missed by all who knew him.  He had a way of making you laugh and bringing any story to life. 

Bud was the wisest man most will ever know.  He enjoyed spending time reading and learning about the world around him, and the full history of whatever he could. There wasn’t a question on Jeopardy that he couldn’t answer.  He hadn’t come across a soul that could teach him anything about what the bible says.  There were many times when a Jehovah’s Witness highly regretted knocking on his door, because he would be correcting their statements!

Bud was strong, kind, caring, smart, and had a very dynamic personality.  He will be dearly missed by all who were lucky enough to know him.  He was always worried about everyone he knew, even up until his last days.  He truly touched people’s lives and will be forever remembered.  His legacy will live on through the family he has left behind.

Bud is survived by his children, Allen (Marge) Ducheneaux, Wade (Diane) Ducheneaux, Henry (Wiletta) Ducheneaux, Marsha (Tom) Vrooman, Carol (Harley) Morgan, and Rita “Pete” (Bob) Carlson, 22 grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren, and two in the oven.  His siblings Wayne Ducheneaux, Franklin Ducheneaux, Karen Nitzschke, Greg Ducheneaux, Rochelle Ducheneaux, Les Ducheneaux, and Candace Ducheneaux.

He was preceded in death by his wife Rita Pauline Ducheneaux, his parents Frank and Ellen (Babe) Ducheneaux.  His brothers John Ducheneaux, Claire Ducheneaux, and one sister Joan LeBeau, a son-in-law Ralph Vrooman, and one grandchild Sidney Frank Ducheneaux.

Luce Funeral Chapel of Eagle Butte has been entrusted with Bud’s arrangements.