Funeral Service for Mary Magdalene Bear, 88, of Sisseton, SD will be held on Monday,December 31, 2018 at 2:00 P.M. at the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Community Center, Agency Village, SD with RevFr. Charles Chan officiating. Pianist will be Billy Kohl. Drum Group will be Long Elk. Pallbearers will be Terry "Chubs" Spider, Jake DeMarrias, John Ross, Stacey MacConnell, Carl Lufkins Sr., Leonard DuMarce, Brady Cloud, Lavern Black Thunder, Duane "Doc" Wanna. Honorary Pallbearers will be Orville White, Harlan DuMarce, Donovan White, Connie Nelson, Donna Willgers, Patricia & Joseph Yankton and Family, Tekakwitha Nursing Center Staff, and all of Mary's Family and Friends. Interment will be at St. Mary's Episcopal Cemetery, Agency Village, SD. All night Wake Service will be held on Sunday, December 30, 2018 at 7:00 P.M. at the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Community Center. The Cahill Funeral Chapel Sisseton SD, is in charge of funeral arrangements.

Mary Magdalene (Wilson) Bear was born on December 1. 1930 to Louie and Rose (Trudell)
Wilson. Mary attended school at Wahpeton Indian School graduating in 1948. She married Jonah Bear; to this union they had four daughters, Carol, Beverly, Cindy and Linda. Mary met Victor Simon Sr., and they had a common law marriage. To this union they had four children, Victor Jr., Delia, Virton and Theresa. In 2007 Mary lost her eyesight and went to the School of the Blind in Sioux Falls, SD. She learned how to read Braille, She always told her boys "I only lost one sense," Mary loved her Dakota heritage and spoke the Dakota Language fluently. She was a proud Dakota Winyan living a very humble life. She had a great sense of humor, all ways joking and teasing. She loved when visitors would come to visit or call. Mary was a homemaker, raising her children with strong Dakota values and teaching them how to speak and understand Dakota. She will be greatly missed by her family

Mary is survived by her children, Carol Dahl of Rosholt, SD, Cynthia Roberts of Vermillion, SD, Beverly Dukes of Watertown, SD, Victor Simon Jr. of Sisseton, SD, Delia Clark of Apache Junction, AZ, Virton Simon of Sisseton, SD, and Theresa McConnell of Veblen, SD; sister-in-law, Delia Welch of Sisseton, SD; twenty one grandchildren and eighteen great grandchildren.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, husband, one daughter, Lynda Harris, one grandson, five brothers, five sisters and one brother-in-law.

For Mary's obituary and on-line registry please visit wwwcahillfuneralchapel.com