Martina LaDeaux

Martina was born in Rosebud SD on December 9, 1948 to the late Nellie Star Boy-Menard and the late Clarence Menard, both enrolled members of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. She was the only surviving daughter among their 9 children. Martina is her given name in honor of her uncle Martin however her brother Cornell Sr pronounced it "MountainTeema" and the name Teema was created. Teema was tough having grown up with all brothers but also had a tender side as she took care of them while their mother Nellie worked. Teema went to boarding school at St Francis Mission where she was also a mother figure to the younger girls there as they were all expected to mentor the grades behind them and she learned a lot of tricks and hacks in cooking and cleaning with the details assigned to them by the nuns. Teema was very active in school and excelled in her studies as well as extracurricular activities. She was in volleyball, basketball, cheerleading as well as academic groups and committees. She loved dances and social activities creating very close life-long friendships. Teema graduated from St Francis Mission in 1966 then attended Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence KS. After graduating in 1968, Teema moved to Oakland California and began working as a secretary for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In Oakland, Teema found a tight knit circle of friends and met Raymond Dean Beauchman. They were married in 1969 and began their family with Robert Dean Beauchman born in Oakland, CA. Teema and Dean were relocated several times while Dean worked with the Xerox company first moving to Yakima, WA where daughter Mary Elizabeth was born, then to Billings, MT where their youngest daughter Tobianne Rae was born. Teema and Dean soon divorced and Teema moved back to the Rosebud Reservation in 1975. Teema met Dave Kills In Water and were married then Burton Kelly Edward was born in 1983. Teema was widowed in 1986. More than 20 years after high school Teema and Ken LaDeaux reconnected in Denver where she and her family often traveled to Denver March Powwow. They dated for a short time and were married in 1989 and she welcomed his daughter Lisa to our family. Teema worked as a dispatcher for Rosebud Police Department then was a secretary for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Teema moved to Wagner for a short time and was a Lakota teacher at Marty Indian School. Teema moved back to Rosebud and was hired in the BIA Range office in 1980 where she worked for 24 years. Teema then became the administrative assistant for the Rosebud Wildland Fire Department and remained there until her retirement on October 1, 2012. Since her return to Rosebud, Teema has been very involved in Tribal affairs and community happenings. She belonged to several groups and committees and even after her retirement continued to volunteer for Community Services and wherever help was needed. She was always willing to organize and plan for powwows, dances, birthdays, funerals, weddings, and gatherings including the church encouraging her children to assist her. Teema's "children" include numerous hunka kids and extended family. Her mother welcomed several family members into her home and Teema took them under her wing with no hesitation. With her mother Nellie's help she created the group Grandmothers, Mothers, and Daughters. In this organization she provided all necessary supplies and taught crafts from sewing and beading to gardening and cooking to all who wanted to learn. There were a lot of children, including young boys, in our community that she mentored. Teema also created, along with the late Neola Spotted Tail and family, the late Dave White and Sandra Black Bear and family, the late Charlotte Star and family, and several others, The Ironwood Song and Dance Troupe and followed the powwow trail. Teema encouraged and supported all of her friends and family in the traditional life and helped with regalia no matter who asked her, Teema and her kids restored several war bonnets and traditional items as well. Ken and Teema also support local artists with their craft booth Lakota Trading Company setting up at several powwows. Teema's support for the people went much further than simply providing for basic needs. She was a mother to all in every aspect of that word and had a hug for your happiness and a shoulder for your grief. Teema talked to a firefighter when she planned a naming ceremony for her grandkids and when he told her he didn't have a name, she checked with the rest of the crew and included more than a dozen in our naming ceremony. She looked out for even a stranger's child and she didn't hesitate to scold when she needed to. But she also rewarded and celebrated everyone's accomplishments and could be heard throughout the auditorium cheering at basketball games and graduations.
Teema is survived by her husband Ken, Her sons Robert "Bob" Beauchman, Burton "Burt" Kills In Water, her daughters Mary and Tobianne Beauchman and Lisa Begay, grandchildren Darcy, Joseph, Evan, Xaina, Zollie, Derek and Jordan, great grandchildren Alayah, Ira, Mia, Marisol, and Tristan Jr.
Teema was preceded in death by her parents Nellie Star Boy and Clarence Menard Sr, her infant sister Manuella Menard, her brothers Luther Buffalo Chief Jr, Lawrence Buffalo Chief Sr, Clarence Menard Jr, James Menard, Michael Menard, Stanley Menard, and grandson Schuyler Beauchman.
Funeral service for Martina LaDeaux age 74 of Rosebud, SD will be held on Monday, September 25 at 11:00AM at the Sinte Gleska University Multipurpose Building in Antelope, SD. Wake services will be on Sept. 23 and 24 at 7:00 PM at the Multipurpose Building. Caravan from the casino to the Multipurpose building will be at 4:00 PM on Sept. 23. Interment will be at a later date. Mrs. LaDeaux passed away on Sept. 16 at the Rosebud Hospital.