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Obituaries

Journey to the Spirit World

This page serves as a space to honor and remember the lives of our tribal members who have passed away. Here, we come together as a compassionate and supportive community to pay tribute to their legacies.

Obituary picture of Theodore “Teddy” Taylor
Theodore “Teddy” Taylor

Born: December 20, 1998
Journeyed to the Spirit World: September 14, 2020

Theodore J. ”Teddy” Taylor, age 21, of Corona, SD, formerly of Flandreau, SD, passed away Monday, September 14th 2020 at the Avera Milbank Hospital.  Teddy was born December 20, 1998 in Sioux Falls, SD, to Nicholas Taylor and Becky Cramer.  He was baptized and confirmed at St. Simon & Jude Catholic Church in Flandreau.  Teddy graduated from Flandreau Public School in 2017 where he was a member of the wrestling, football, and basketball teams.  He participated in 4-H and Boy Scouts where he installed a toddler park for his Eagle Scout award.  A highlight of his school years was playing on a basketball team in Australia in 2016.  Teddy attended Minnesota West in Worthington, MN for a short time where he had been recruited to play basketball.  He then moved to Jackson, MN where he worked at T-Care, a truck repair shop.  Teddy returned to Flandreau for a time and worked for the DOT before moving to Milbank in the fall of 2018 to work at Twin Valley Tire.  It is in Milbank where he met his special friend, Tracy Rush, whom he called his “Little Miss Tudy” and with whom he enjoyed spending much of his time.  Teddy was a caretaker at heart especially towards his siblings whom he loved to tease and spoil.  He enjoyed fishing, hunting, playing darts, involvement in Enduro car races, riding motorcycles, snowmobiling, and rebuilding cars.  His current project was restoring a 1974 Oldsmobile 442.  Teddy also had a passion for all things football: cheering for the Green Bay Packers, playing, coaching Pee-wee football, and participating as a student coach after an injury.  He loved playing baseball and played on a co-ed softball team with his cousins.  Teddy was quite the charmer and loved to tell his Grandma Betty that she smelled like roses when he wanted something. He spent a lot of time with his grandpa “Butch” cruising in the side car “picking up chicks”, learning traditions, and pipe carving.  His favorite thing to annoy his mother was to tap her shoulder while continually repeating “mom, mom, mom”.  Teddy and his dad loved working on cars together and his quirky smile would always give away when he/they were up to something. He was always one to acknowledge you and his face would light up when he saw you. The bear hugs Teddy was known for will be missed beyond belief.

Teddy is survived by his parents; five siblings, Zac Caulfield, MT; Nathan and Levi Taylor, Minneapolis; Tiffany and Terissa Taylor, both of Flandreau; grandparents, Robert Cramer, Milbank; Betty Cramer, Pipestone; and Ceedy Johnson, Pipestone; two uncles, Brian Cramer, Sioux Falls; Matt (Kellie) Taylor, Flandreau; and cousin Cole. Teddy was preceded in death by his brother Toby, Grandpa Myron “Butch” Taylor, cousin Caitlyn Taylor and a great uncle, Lee Taylor.

Funeral services will be 1:00 pm Monday, September 21, 2020 at the Wicoicaga Otipi Community Center, Flandreau, with burial in the First Presbyterian Cemetery. An all-night wake will begin 7:00 pm Friday at the community center with wake services every evening. There will be a Catholic Daughter Rosary at 1:45 pm Sunday with a 2:00 pm liturgical wake service.