February 29, 1936 – March 28, 2026______________
Funeral services for Calvin “Junior” Smith, 90, of Lantry were Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at Cal and Bailey Peterson’s Ranch and Bear Creek. Burial was at the Smith Family Cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home. Junior passed away on March 28, 2026, in Lantry.
Calvin “Junior” Smith was born February 29, 1936 to Calvin and Velma (Holloway) Smith in Eagle Butte.
Junior was raised in the cowboy way of life. He spent much of his childhood with his grandparents, Charlie and Ida Holloway, aunt and uncle John and Murphy Holloway. Before he was old enough for school, he was already riding his pony out to help. His uncle would send him out to ride fence and check cattle. Not yet knowing how to read, he memorized the brand and drew them when he got back – his own way of learning the work.
He attended grade school in Eagle Butte, where he spent his days alongside lifelong friends Dean Reeves, Buzz Reeves, Scope Yellowhead, and others. Together, those boys and Junior’s brother Chuck even built their own arena south of town. They went to the river and cut every pole down. They dug and tamped every hole by hand to get their arena built. After finishing, the community would often gathered to watch them ride broncs.
By the eighth grade, Junior had decided his future was on horseback. He went to work alongside his uncles Shorty and John Holloway, something he would continue for many years, eventually bringing his own children along to work beside him.
Around the age of 16, Junior headed to Arizona to work for the Boquillas Cattle Company. There, he experienced a different kind of cowboying – battling mesquite thorns and sand that found its way into everything.
Though it was an adventure, his heart was always pulling him back home—to South Dakota, and to his one true love, Rhea Lou.
He asked Rhea Lou to marry him when she was 14, and she told him, “I have to finish high school first.”
During Rhea’s junior year of high school, he asked her again and she said yes. After her graduation, the two eloped to Pierre on July 12, 1956. Junior brought Rhea home to Bear Creek, where they built a life together – raising their children, horses, and cattle– for nearly 70 years.
They were blessed with ten children: Dean Delbert, Kim Meri, Robert Glenn, Floyd Allen (Skeeter), Jacqueline Ida, Dugan Charles, Lyle Leslie, Lorita Jane, Jae Mackenzie, and Callie Lou.
Junior rode broncs at RCA and SDRA rodeos. After a few years and starting a family, he stepped away from competing and became a judge for many area rodeos.
He had a deep love for raising cattle and good horses. He was known as a hardworking and dependable neighbor, always willing to lend a hand, often bringing his crew of kids along to brandings across the area.
In later years, back trouble kept him from riding. But he adapted, getting himself a Ranger that allowed him to keep going wherever he needed to be— checking on the work, watching over the boys, and pointing out anything that needed fixing.
Junior was a man who was easy to like. He was known for his integrity, strong work ethic, and ability to fix just about anything. If he built something, it was built to last. His hands were rough and calloused reflecting a lifetime of work and anyone who shook his hand knew how strong he was. Those hands also held a quiet tenderness—especially for the greatest joys of his life, his grandchildren.