Funeral Service for Richard (Rick) Buckanaga, 65, of Sisseton, SD will be held on Saturday, October 3, 2015 at 10:00 A.M. at the St. Kateri Tekakwitha Hall, Sisseton, SD with Spiritual Leader Danny Seaboy and Drum Group Wahpekute. Pallbearers will be Cheo Smith, Chris Strom, Wambdi Clairmont, Bob LaFromboise, Floyd Beaudreau, and Alan LaBelle. Honorary Pallbearers will be Lakota Clairmont, Harry Buckanaga Jr., Brian LaBelle, William Smith, Duane LaBelle, Dennis LaBelle, Elijah Daniels, Ralph LaFromboise, and Patrick Greene. Interment will be at the St. Matthews Catholic Cemetery, Veblen, SD. All Night Wake Service will be held on Friday, October 2, 2015 at 6:00 P.M. at the St. Kateri Tekakwitha Hall, Sisseton, SD. The Cahill Funeral Chapel of Sisseton, SD is in charge of arrangements.
Richard ( more fondly referred to as Rick by all who knew him) Warren Buckanaga was born on January 21, 1950 to Celine Dorothy LaFromboise Buckanaga and Harry Buckanaga, Sr. in St. Paul, MN. His Indian name is Cetan Ohoda Hok?ida. After the loss of his father, he was raised by his mother and additionally benefitted from the loving guidance of his grandmother Lucy LaBelle and other grandmothers, aunts and uncles and other extended family members. He attended Tekakwitha Mission School for several years before the family purchased a home in Sisseton. There he attended St. Peter's Catholic School and the Sisseton Public Schools until his freshman year in high school. Because he was such an exceptional student, usually performing at the top of his class, he was recruited by A Better Chance (ABC), an educational search organization that recruited the top students from communities of color nationwide to attend private schools across the country. Rick attended Wilbraham Academy in Wilbraham, MA for the remainder of his high school years, and graduated from there in 1972.
He was recruited by Dartmouth College and there completed his freshman and sophomore years. He was anxious to apply his education and experience in the real world and decided to take time off from Dartmouth for several years. He moved to Denver, CO and became active in the American Indian community there. He developed a skill for fundraising and development and was instrumental in starting Denver's first Indian Health Board. He also garnered revenue for child welfare programming and many other social services programs.
During this period in Denver, he started a family with Carmen Clairmont. They have two children – Lakota Clairmont (41) and Tanksi Clairmont ( 34). He has five grandchildren – Keya and Wambdi Clairmont, and Tate and Wakinyela Bear, and his youngest grandson, Omani Clairmont. In addition, he has many other grandchildren from his nieces and nephews in the Sisseton community and in Minneapolis, including Elijah Daniels, Alayah, Solomon and Isaac Goodsell, Gia Strom, and Latecia, Javonte, Owinteno, and Catan Buckanaga.
After nearly 30 years in Denver, Rick moved home to Sisseton. During the past 12 years, Rick began a jewelry and small sculpture business (Tribal Fusion) selling many items to the Dakota Nation Art Store, the Sisseton casinos and to numerous individual buyers. He began attending Sisseton Wahpeton College in 2009 and graduated with an A.A. degree in Computer Sciences in 2012.
Rick is survived by his mother Celine Buckanaga of Sisseton, SD; two children Lakota Clairmont and Tanksi Clairmont both of Denver, CO; brothers Harry Buckanaga Jr., of Wahpeton, ND and Brian LaBelle of Sisseton, SD; sisters Nancy Smith of Minneapolis, MN and Zola Greene of Sisseton, SD; grandchildren Keya, Wambdi, Tate, Wakinyela, and Omani; nieces Aida Strom, Anpao Buckanaga, Hopsti Buckanaga, Michelle Buckanaga, Deanna LaBelle, Edie LaBelle, Shara LaBelle and Brianna LaBelle; nephews Cheo Smith, Daniel LaBelle, and Cody Gunderson.
He was preceded in death by his father Harry Buckanaga Sr.; beloved nephew Michael Richard Buckanaga; uncles Willard LaFromboise, Buddy LaBelle, Joe LaFromboise and Francis Crawford; aunts Marie Crawford and Martina Westerman. He will be dearly missed for his kindness, generosity, empathy and great love for his entire family. Ake waciya kekte ate, micinksi, tibdo, misun, deksi, and unkana.