Notes from Indian Country
Losing two wonderful friendsBy Tim Giago (Nanwica Kciji – Stands Up For Them) Lois Rapp walked on to the Spirit World on Christmas Eve. She loved Christmas Eve and always had the Christmas spirit. Lois was my mother-in-law and I have fond memories of spending Christmas Eve at her home in Buffalo Gap. At her funeral her grandson Tyler said, “Christmas Eve was one of her favorite days. A day of gathering, a day of faith, a day of celebration and a day of anticipation.” In her own forceful and yet quiet way Lois, a proud Lakota woman, stood up for the rights of her people and at a time when women were pretty scarce in the political arena, she served on the Shannon County Commission, a county that encompassed the Pine Ridge Reservation. Lois was a rancher through and through. When the Bureau of Indian Affairs was offering pro-rata share money to the young Lakota men and women when they reached age 18, they offered $900.00 for an education or 6 head of cattle. Lois chose the cattle and added to the foundation of her livelihood. When branding time came around each year you could find her out there with the many Lakota men and women who came to the ranch to pitch in by working the fires and cooking the meals for the cowhands doing the branding. She turned a hard working somber occasion into one of laughter and joy. After her husband of 55 years, Freeman J. Rapp, passed away, she never stopped working. She could be seen in her red pickup truck cruising the ranch, going to cattle sales, judging 4-H events, and working the ranch like the hand she was. She raised a fine family in the process and she will be missed deeply by many. I also lost another of my dear friends when Jerry Reynolds died suddenly of a heart attack. Jerry showed up at the office of the Lakota Times in the early 1980s looking for a job. He was a white boy from Gordon, Nebraska, who wanted to be a news reporter. His vocabulary was exemplary and his writing down to earth and so I hired him. Over the years Jerry won many awards from the South Dakota Newspaper Association for stories he had penned. When I go back and look at the pages of the old Lakota Times while he was employed there I can see his finger prints on so many stories and layout and design ideas everywhere in the paper. Jerry Reynolds was not just an employee, but he was also a friend. He shared a meal or a cocktail with us at home on many occasions. Jerry moved on the Washington with Indian Country Today after I sold the newspaper and continued to write for that paper for several years. With life as busy as it seems to get I lost track of him over the years. The last time a saw Jerry was over dinner in Washington. That was many years ago and I regret that we did not stay in touch like we should have. But for all of those who knew his writing and shared a friendship with him over the years, I write this as a tribute to my friend. May Jerry Reynolds and Lois Rapp rest in peace. Contact Tim Giago at najournalist1@gmail.com
Join the Conversation
