Walking On - Dakota Rae Sangretta-Whitecloud

Dakota Rae Sangretta-Whitecloud

Nov. 11, 1947 – Aug. 10, 2017

Tribal Elder Dakota Rae Sangretta-Whitecloud, 69, born Nov. 11, 1947, crossed over Aug. 10, 2017, after complications from surgery. 

Dakota, known then as Rose Mary Ames, grew up primarily in the Willamette Valley. She attended school in Broadacres and Salem, Ore. She married Jose Trevino Jr., had three children and later divorced. She raised her children, making every rented house or apartment her home with her “green thumb,” adding plants and flowers to every yard. She spent time outdoors and loved to fish.

In the mid-1980s, she moved the family to Roseburg, Ore., where she built new relationships with family and friends. She attended Umpqua Community College, receiving her associate degree in Accounting, before returning to her Tribal homeland in Grand Ronde, Ore., where she lived until her passing. 

An active, enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, she was proud great-great-granddaughter to treaty signer and Kalapuya Chief Joseph Sangretta. She followed the powwow trail, sharing traditional knowledge, and making Native regalia and jewelry. She owned her own business, “Dakota’s Designs.” She was a woman with a warrior’s spirit and a fierce supporter of veterans.

She worked for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde from 1989 through retirement in 2011, but remained a very involved Tribal member. Dakota was known for her knowledge of Tribal history and affairs, deep convictions, determination, tenacity and loyalty. She was outspoken and passionate. 

Family remembers her as a great cook: fried chicken, broccoli manicotti, cinnamon/sugar pie crust treats, macaroni salad, doughnuts and homemade bread were among favorites. She loved Christmas and noble fir trees. She named her vehicles, and did just about anything her children asked of her. Countless hours were spent drinking coffee, playing games and cards, and teaching her kids to fish and swim.

She loved hummingbirds, her favorite colors were lavender and turquoise, and she loved tending her flowers and plants. She loved mornings on the east side of her home in Grand Meadows, enjoying a cup of coffee, looking out over the meadow and watching the wildlife as the sun rose. She spoke to the animals as people and loved them as her children.

Dakota was preceded in death by many ancestors, including her beloved grandmother Theresa (Holmes) Zavodsky, who raised her in early years; parents, Kenneth Ames and Pearl McGee; sisters, Sharon (Langley) Dixon, Loretta Morris and Violet Marie Quenelle, twin infant siblings; and daughter, Cynthia Leann Trevino, Jr.-Williams.

She is survived by her Jack Russell terrier “Sassy”; children, Maria Christina Trevino-Jungers (Robert) and Jose Kenneth Trevino; nephew, Isaiah Ryan Morris (Leticia Magana) and family; nieces, Terry Bonham, Debbie Adams, Beverly Warren and Savannah Ingram and their families; and Lynn Kitchen and Dennis Kitchen (Lori). She is deeply missed, but she walks on, and is with us in spirit. 

Arrangements made through Bollman Funeral Home in Dallas, Ore., and services will be held 1 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017, at the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde gymnasium, 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, OR, 97347. A meal will follow at the Elders Activities Center. www.dallastribute.com