Julia Hernandez

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Julia Sixta Hernandez, whose kind heart, creative spirit, and love for her family will never be forgotten.

Julia Sixta Hernandez, 23, of Eagle Butte, passed away Sunday, July 19, 2026, at Cheyenne River Health, Eagle Butte.

Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m., MDT, Saturday, August 1, 2026, at the Dupree Youth Center (red building on Main Street). Burial will follow in the Dupris Family Cemetery, rural Eagle Butte. A wake service will be 7:00 p.m., Friday, July 31, 2026, at the Dupree Youth Center.

Julia was born on June 15, 2003, to Misty Hernandez and Florencio Pastrana-Flores in Salt Lake City, Utah. She spent her early childhood in Salt Lake City before moving to Dupree, South Dakota, at the age of five. She attended Dupree School through the sixth grade, later returning to Utah where she attended Diamond Fork Middle School and graduated from Spanish Fork High School in 2021.

Following graduation, Julia attended Utah Valley University, where she studied Criminal Justice. She began working at Sonic at the age of 16, saving to purchase her first car through her own hard work and determination. She later worked at Walmart before returning to South Dakota in 2024 to help care for her grandmother. While there, she participated in the Summer Youth Program, attended Oglala Lakota College, and worked at Family Dollar.

Julia was a free spirit with a beautiful imagination. She loved creating art through drawing, painting, and writing, and dreamed of becoming a tattoo artist. She enjoyed reading, skateboarding, playing the guitar and piano, video games, and beading—a skill lovingly taught to her by her grandmother. Julia also loved making people laugh with her playful sense of humor, taking scenic drives through the mountains, and spending time outdoors on walks.

More than anything, Julia will be remembered for her loving heart, her creativity, her determination, and the joy she brought to those who knew her. Though her time with us was far too short, the memories she created and the love she shared will remain in the hearts of her family and friends forever.

Julia will be deeply missed and forever loved. Her light will continue to shine in the lives of all who had the privilege of knowing her.

“Those we love don’t go away. They walk beside us every day, unseen, unheard, but always near.”

Julia is the great granddaughter of the late Percy Sr. and Rose Dupris who she will be buried by.

Julia is survived by her mom, Misty Hernandez; two siblings: Raul Pastrana Flores and Rosa Pastrana Flores; her grandma, Elaine Martinez; uncles: Chris Dupris, Ronnie Hernandez, Lance and Mateo Martinez; aunts, Katrina Martinez, Tracy Dupris-Luna and Christian Dupris- Luna; and cousins: Alejandro, Hector, Letticia, and Saul Hernandez.

Julia was preceded in the eternal world by her dad, Florencio Pastrana-Flores; great grandparents: Percy Sr. and Rose Dupris; grandparents: Percy Jr. and Bernadine Dupris, Elverna Dupris, and Richard Young; and paternal grandma, Sixta Flores.

She will also be greatly missed by her fur babies Bellamy and Millie.

Luce Funeral Home of Gettysburg has been entrusted with Julia’s arrangements.