Theodore T. Miner

August 21, 1943 – April 13, 2024

Theodore T. Miner, 80, of Eagle Butte passed away April 13, 2024, at Cheyenne River Health Center in Eagle Butte.

Funeral services were held Monday, April 22 in Eagle Butte. Per Ted’s request, there was no burial services as his wishes were to be cremated. Luce Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Theodore Trudell Miner (Red Wing-Hupahu Luta) was born in Firesteel on August 21, 1943, to Lorraine (Vassar) and Walter Miner. They had nine children: Roland, Rudy, Dinah, Melvin, Ralph, Marlene, Randy, Ted, JB (Junior), and Richard. They were raised in White Horse. Ted had many fond memories of growing up in White Horse: hunting, fishing, and riding horses with many friends and cousins.

Ted attended school in White Horse and later moved to the Old Agency. Soon after, he married Kathy LaBatte and had three daughters: Diana, Heidi and Jennifer. Then in 1973, he was married to Marcy Black Bull. From this union, he gained a daughter, Raylene, and later a beloved son, Ted Jr. As a family, they lived in Eagle Butte.

Throughout the years, there were many children taken in by the Miners and he accepted them as his own. Those they took in included: Chuck Miner, Kenny Traversie, Delbert Bruguier, Dugan and Sonny Bad Warrior, Blaine “Pie” Dog Eagle, Jason Lawrence, Jason Garter, Brad Briscoe, and Brandon Johnson. They were blessed with many grandchildren, and they became his whole world.

Ted had many different jobs during his lifetime including mining in Lead, carpentry, working oil fields in Texas, construction, ranching, EMT, roofing, and always being a cowboy.

Ted had many different hobbies that he was passionate about. Some of these included wagons, ranching, reading, woodwork, and being outside to hunt, working with horses and fishing. He spent many years working trail rides and fixing wagons with Blaine Nordvold and Tommy Thompson. Ted was a very busy man but in any spare time he found, he read Western books. His other passion was horses, whether it was breaking them, riding them, or teaching others to ride. Almost every day, he went to John Bachman’s saddle shop, Taco John’s for a burrito, into stores for a pack of cigarettes and to see who he could visit. He was a simple man in life, he did not care too much about modern things like fancy cars, the newest phones, or social media.

In the fall of 2022, Ted was faced with many different serious health issues. He began having foot issues which eventually led to the amputation of his leg. His son told him that this was God’s way of telling him to slow down. At the beginning of 2023, he was told he had three different types of cancers in his blood and began having serious esophagus issues. Ted was never able to fully return to himself as he no longer could do the things he loved.

Ted is survived by his wife, Marcy; children: Heidi, Jennifer, Raylene, and Ted Jr., and Mona, Rhonda, and Rhonica; sister, Marlene; 20 grandchildren; and sister-in-law, Clarice.

He was preceded in death by his mother and father; siblings: Roland, Rudy, Melvin, Dinah, Ralph, Randy, JB (Junior), and Richard; and one daughter, Diana.