Memorial Service for Dennis Ray Lufkins, 76, of Sioux Falls, SD, will be held on Saturday, June 21, 2025, at 1:00 P.M. at the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribal Community Center, Agency Village, SD. There will be a Wake service on Thursday, June 19, 2025, from 7-9:00 P.M. at the Dakota Alliance Church in Sisseton, SD. There will be an All-Night Wake service on Friday, June 20, 2025, starting at 7:00 P.M. at the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribal Community Center, Agency Village, SD. Officiating the services will be CRE Gerald Heminger Jr. Drum Group will be the Old Agency Singers. Urn Bearer will be Jeremy Brown. Honorary Urn Bearers will be David Jensen, George Blue Bird, Leonard Blue Thunder, Joseph Ledfast, Jerry Locke, Marty LaFromboise, Robert Tapio, Ronald Goodsell, David Williams, Justin Tuttle, Carl Lufkins, Lila Renville,  all Nieces and Nephews  . Inurnment will be at the Lufkins Family Cemetery in Long Hollow, SD. Cahill Funeral Chapel of Sisseton, SD, is in charge of arrangements.

Dennis Ray Lufkins was born on June 30, 1948 to George Lufkins Jr. and Ida (Goodbird) Lufkins in Sisseton, SD. He was the 8th child in a family of fifteen. He attended Wahpeton Indian School and later received his GED.  Known to many as "Big D," his name carried weight not just for his size, but for the strength of his heart, his loyalty, and the wisdom he shared with everyone around him. Dennis "Big D" was known for his impressive skill on the basketball court—smooth with the ball, sharp with his shot, and always a leader in the game, earning respect from everyone who watched or played beside him.  Though serving time in his later years, he became a steady light for younger men—offering wisdom, guidance, and compassion that helped many find purpose, hope, and a better path, even within the walls.

Dennis is survived by his sisters: Marcella (Lufkins) Haug of Sisseton, SD; Margaret Lufkins of Minneapolis, MN; Georgia 'Eva' Lufkins of Denver, CO, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Preceded in death are Father George Lufkins Jr, and Mother Ida (Goodbird) Lufkins; Brothers: Narcisse Lufkins, Stanley Lufkins, Vernell Lufkins, and Rodney Lufkins; Sisters: Georgiana Lufkins, Kathleen (Beanna) Lufkins, Elverna Lufkins, Lorena (Becky) Lufkins, Leona Lufkins and Mary Jane Lufkins; Paternal Grandparents George Lufkins Sr. and Margaret (Mageed) Lufkins and Maternal Grandparents David Goodbird and Mary Ziziwin (Johnson) Goodbird.