Funeral Service for Bella Joy DuMarce,Wazi Omani Win "Walks in the pine woman", 42, of Sisseton, SD will be held on Thursday, July 31, 2014 at 2:00 PM at the Tribal Community Center, Agency Village, SD. Rev. Bob Beasley, and John Cloud Senior Catechist will be officiating. Music will be by Arnold Williams with special music by Joe and Kathy White. Pallbearers will be John Cloud, Galen Drapeau, Simon DuMarce, James Rondell, Tony Barker, Brendon Barker, Darrell Mirreau, Travis "Bodie" Robertson and Ryan Beasley. Honorary Pallbearers will be Kristie Keeble, Carmen Crawford, Rhonda Kampeska Ashlee Lee, Margo Dempsey, Ashlee Dahl, Stacy Chidaushe, Diane Johnson, Eunice Rondell, Lolita Renville, Louella Cloud, Sherilyn Marks, Carrie Bates, Faith Just, Bessie Barse, Paulita Drapeau, JoAnna Oval and Alicia Pederson. Interment will be in the Sisseton Cemetery, Sisseton, SD. There will be wake services on Tuesday, July 29, and Wednesday, July 30, 2014 at 7:00 PM at the Tribal Community Center, Agency Village, SD. The Cahill Funeral Chapel, Sisseton, SD is in charge of arrangements.
Bella Joy DuMarce was born to Clifford DuMarce and Barbara White on December 5th, 1971 at Sisseton Public Health Hospital. She attended Sisseton Public School and Wahpeton Indian School, where she graduated from the 8th grade, she finished her schooling at St. Cloud, MN. She met and married Jeffery D. Opatz Sr. to this union were born 4 boys. Gordon Opatz, twin boys Jesse and Jeffery Opatz Jr., Garett DuMarce, and Michael White. She lived at Old Agency for a while, she later moved to Brookings, SD where she presently lived.
She raised her family in Brookings, she was vary proud of her boys, they were athletic. She went to all of their football and baseball games. She was a working mother. She worked for Weather Star as a Supervisor for 10 years. She worked for Advance teaching the handicapped children to work on an assembly line, she worked at Rainbow for several years and various other jobs in their community. She had a lot of friends in Brookings and she had many friends in the Pow Wow circuit also. She married Jason Petersen on May 22, 2002 in Brookings, SD. Bella enjoyed Pow Wow's, beading, planting flowers, gardening and going to Idaho to visit her special friend Gene Daniels.
Bella is survived by her sons Gordon Opatz, Garett DuMarce, Jeff Opatz Jr., Jesse Opatz, and Michael White all of Brookings, SD; husband Jason Petersen; mother Barbara LaCroix of Sisseton, SD; sisters Bobbi DuMarce of Sioux Falls, SD; Billie Krpan of Greeley, CO; brothers Joseph LaCroix Jr. of Sisseton, SD, Spencer LaCroix Sr. of Sisseton, SD; Barry LaCroix of Sisseton, SD, Simon DuMarce of Wheaton, MN, Clifford DuMarce Jr. of New Port Ridge, NC; grandson Isaiah Opatz of Brookings, SD; paternal grandmother Alma Renville; aunts, uncles, nieces nephews, and many cousins.
Bella is proceeded in death by her father Clifford DuMarce, maternal grandparents Francis White Sr. and Mary S. White; paternal grandfather Melvin DuMarce; uncles LaVern White Sr., Byron White and Elroy White Sr.