David William Dudley, 87, of Egan, SD journeyed to the spirit world on March 31st, 2026 at the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe Care Center.
Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 AM an Wednesday, April 8th, 2026 at Eastman Hall in Flandreau, SD. A two-day wake will be held prior to the service starting on Monday, April 6, 2026 at 6:00 PM. Burial will take place at Hillside Cemetery in Egan, SD.
David was born on May 30, 1938, in Wagner, SD, to Joseph and Josephine (Bourissau) Dudley. He was the third of four children. David had a wonderful childhood, being raised primarily by his maternal grandparents Bill and Bessie at Choteau Creek. As a child, David loved hunting and fishing and could often be found out hunting with his beloved dog Tyser. David attended a small country school, but after 8th grade he decided he’d learned enough and left school to enter the workforce. He moved around quite a bit as a teenager, living with either his dad or mom in places like Sioux City or Kansas City. Of all the places he worked as a young man, he would often talk of working at the Wish-Bone plant in Kansas City. In his younger days, he fell in love and married Velma Robertson, a union that welcomed a daughter, Connie, and a son, David, into this world. David and Velma soon divorced, and David moved to North Dakota, where he met Teresa YellowFat. They were married and welcomed Debbie, James, and Joe into the world. As fate would have it, David and Teresa were not meant to be and parted ways. The love of David’s life was waiting for him in Florida. There he met Joy Mikowetz, and he spent the rest of his life with her, until her passing in August of 2022. During their long life together, they welcomed three children into the world: Phillip, Robin, and William.
David and Joy moved quite a few times during their life together—Florida to Minnesota, Minnesota to Florida, Florida to Michigan, Michigan to Florida, and Florida to South Dakota. He used to be teased about having a “seven-year itch” about moving, even though it wasn’t always seven years in between moves. While living in Florida, he got into the dry-cleaning business and became a manager at 60-minute cleaners. His experience in the dry-cleaning business would later come in handy after moving to South Dakota, as David and Joy owned and operated Mom and Dad’s Dry Cleaners in Flandreau, SD, for a short time. David’s “itch” to move “mostly” went away, and he remained in Egan, SD, from 1979–2023. During this time, he worked as the Egan City Man and at the Flandreau Indian School in the boys’ dorms. David became close to many boys in the dorms, often checking them out and taking them home with him for supper. He became particularly close to one boy, Lanny Williams. Lanny became like a son to him.
Life in Egan was fairly quiet, as it was a town of approximately 250 people, but David always found a way to make things more interesting. He built a bar in the backyard, the “Donation Bar.” Shooting pool was David’s favorite pastime, and he was very good at it, so of course there was a pool table in the bar. He had many friends come and spend time with him, shooting pool, drinking a beer or two, and having a good time. Sadly, after his wife Joy passed away, David became the first resident at the newly built Care Center in Flandreau, SD. He missed living in Egan very much and made it known regularly. Bluejays in Egan was a favorite spot for him, and he would ask to go there from time to time. David loved his children and grandchildren and was always happy to see them when they came to visit. He lived at the Care Center until his passing, just one day shy of three years.
David is survived by his children: Connie Brown (Ernest), Kansas City, MO; Debbie Dudley, Fort Yates, ND; Phillip Dudley, Flandreau, SD; Robin (Lloyd) Stock, Brookings, SD; and William (Lindsey) Dudley, Missoula, MT. His grandchildren: David (Kyra) Brown, Kansas City, MO; Joy (Brian) Wagner, Kansas City, MO; Chelsie Brown, Kansas City, MO; Jessica, North Dakota; Ken Staab Jr., Colman, SD; Christopher (Siera) Staab, Volga, SD; Caleb Staab (Britney), Brookings, SD; Cory Staab (Dani), Rapid City, SD; Kassie Staab (Anthony), Brookings, SD; Chad Thin Elk (Ashlyn), Flandreau, SD; and James Dudley, Missoula, MT. Great grandchildren: Kirby, Kelsea, Kyndal, Kariah, Malcolm, Brooklynn, Zander, Zaviar, Amelia, CJ, Ava, Isabell, Isaac, Andre, Eric, Kyla-Rey, Steven, Luka, Vera, Arlo, Leia, and Prince. Great-great grandchildren: Malcolm Jr. and Rilynn, along with many nephews and nieces.
He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents: William and Bessie (Glass) Bourissau; paternal grandparents: David Pteode (Hunts Buffalo) Dudley and Emma (Wise Boy) Dudley; parents: Joseph Dudley and Josephine (Bourissau) Dudley; siblings: Phillip Dudley, Dorothy Cotton, Rev. Dr. Joseph Dudley, and Ramona Burroughs; sister-in-law: Eva Dudley; children: David, James, and Joe; and one grandchild: Isaac.
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