June 23, 1947– August 10, 2026________________________________________
Funeral ser vices for Louis Mendoza, 79, of Eagle Butte will be at 11:00 a.m. (MT) August 29, 2026, at All Saints Parish in Eagle Butte. Burial will take place after the lunch at the St. Theresa Catholic Cemetery in White Horse under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home. A rosary will be held at 7:00 p.m. (MT) August 28, 2026, at the church. Following the rosary will be a military roll call and an all-night wake. A procession will be leaving from the 4-mile junction at 6:00 p.m. on August 28 to the church.
Lou passed away on August 10, 2026 at Denver Hospice, Aurora, CO.
Lou was one of the older brothers in the Mendoza family. He served in the Army as a military police officer during the Vietnam war. He was most well-known for his athletic ability. He was an accomplished athlete. Many have said he was a natural on the basketball court, the tennis court, the softball field, and the golf course. When he was in high school, he played forward on the Austin High School Basketball team in El Paso, TX. He received honorable mention for All State Basketball in Texas. He played basketball for Black Hills State College in Spearfish.
After college, he played indepen‑dent basketball as one of the original members of Ralph Macy’s Diesels, an all Native American basketball inde‑pendent team sharing the court with his brothers, Larry, Jesse, and Bobby.
For many years, Lou was a mem‑ber of the Coup Counters, a Native American basketball independent team. Not only did he play bas‑ketball he also earned accolades as a golfer when he won the South Dakota Golf Association Senior Golf Championship. Among one of his many honors, he was inducted into the South Dakota Amateur Basketball Hall of Fame.
Lou traveled many miles across South Dakota as a basketball referee and girls’ volleyball official. For many years, he was a basketball official for the Lakota Nations Invitational. He was a Cheyenne-Eagle Butte Braves fan and attended many activities.
In addition to his athleticism, Lou was also an entrepreneur and had a head for business. He was the owner of the Red Mesa Environmental Company in Lees Summit, MO for many years. Additionally, he worked for the CRST Tribe as ad‑ministrative officer during the Kevin Keckler Administration, and served as Director of the Brownsville Project. In retirement, he became a long-time substitute teacher for the Cheyenne-Eagle Butte Schools.
He is survived by his sons, Tony Mendoza, Adrian (Duwana Two Bulls) Mendoza, Gideon Mendoza; stepsons Rocklyn LeBeau (Vanessa), Echoe Johnson; grandchildren Madison Mendoza, Kay Kquin Mendoza, Blake Mendoza, and Sydney, Jordan, Addisyn, and Spencer LeBeau; his siblings and their spouses: Larry (Wendy) Mendoza, Jesse (Florine) Mendoza, Linda Hunter, Cindy (Dale) McCrea, Geri (Randy) Gutwein, Lily Mendoza, George Mendoza, Corina (Vernon) Robertson, Debbie Mendoza, numer‑ous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews, and great-great nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his father, Hilario Gonzales Mendoza; his mother Corine Jewett Mendoza; brothers Robert Ramon Mendoza and Ralph Gonzales Mendoza; stepson Heath (Brandy) LeBeau; his uncle Armando Mendoza and grandpar‑ents, aunts and uncles.