Funeral Service for Vastana Opal "Rocky" James, Wakan Eyumni, "Aura around her" 86, of Lake Traverse, South Dakota will be held on Monday, March 18, 2019 at 2:00 P.M. at the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribal Community Center, Agency Village, SD with Rev. Fr. Charles Chan, St. John's Lay Readers, Fr. Conrad Ciesel and Deacon Betsy Ciesel officiating.  Special music by Butch Felix.  Pallbearers will be Robert White Thunder, RD Pumpkinseed, Elias Ortley, Chris Feather, Mike White, Sleepy Eagleman and Mark Keoke, Daniel Shepherd.   Honorary Pallbearers will be Geraldine Rencountre, Gerald "GT" Thompson, Joe & Kathy White, Saphrona Crawford, Lester & Louise Crawford, Marcella Haug, Doc Wanna, Marva Red Thunder, Rita Finley, Rose Philbrick, Kory Bertsch, & her baby Jesse Watts Jr., Gabe King, Joe James, Kenny "Kro" Ortley, Arlene Spider, Caroline Black Thunder.  Interment will be in the spring at St. John's Episcopal Cemetery, Browns Valley, South Dakota.  There will be all night wakes on Saturday, March 16, 2019 and Sunday, March 17, 2019 starting at 7:00 P.M. at the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribal Community Center. The Cahill Funeral Chapel, Sisseton, South Dakota is in charge of funeral arrangements.

Vastana was born at home at Lake Traverse on October 10, 1932 to F. Irene (Wilson) Kitto and Charles E. Kitto.   Rocky attended grade school at South Bryant, North Bryant, and Sisseton Public School.  She then went  to St. Elizabeth at Wakpala and then Flandreau Indian School.  She quit school in the 10 ^th grade to take care of the family farm.  She then worked in Fargo, ND where she met her Mister...LaRue James.  While in North Dakota she worked at a produce farm.  She then worked at Landsbergers for a few years, then at Schiltz Food and finally at Tribal Elderly Nutrition Center cooking and delivering meals for many years until her health failed in 2010.  Her hobbies included making pies, sewing star quilts, bingo, going for cruises to town.  She loved being around her grandchildren and great grandchildren and going to PowWows.  She was a fluent Dakota speaker. Rocky passed away at her home at Lake Traverse on March 11, 2019.

Rocky is survived by her children CR James, Pauline White Thunder, Donna James, Darwin James, Bob James, Denise Fuentes, and Mark Keoke, her brother Joe White; sisters Katie McKay and Darlyn Kitto; Grandchildren, Great Grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Rocky was preceded in death by her Mama and Daddy; daughter Sheila James, her Mister...LaRue James; brothers Earlwin and Dean; her sisters Ramona and Fern, nieces, nephews and Elvis.

For Vastana's obituary and on-line registry go to www.cahillfuneralchapel.com