MARY ASHES

Mary Virginia (Decoteau) Arpan Ashes, Wakte Waste Win “Woman of Good Deeds” 93, of Greenwood died Saturday, August 29, 2020 at her home in rural Greenwood. Funeral services were Thursday, September 3 at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Marty. Burial was in St. Paul’s Catholic Cemetery. Peters Funeral Home in Wagner was in charge of arrangements.

Virginia (Grama Gina) was born in Greenwood to Lein Phillip DeCoteau and Amelia Mabel Schunk on September 29, 1926. She joined her older brother Lein Phillip Jr. and her younger sister LaVonne soon joined to make the family complete. Virginia was born and raised in Greenwood and attended school at Pierre Boarding School. During WW2 she relocated to Bremerton, WA where she worked as a ship welder. She then returned to Greenwood and met and married Robert Arpan Sr. and to this union three children were born.

Virginia then moved to Yankton where she lived for many years and raised her children while working at Gurney Seed and Nursery and Ron’s Cleaners. When her mother, Amelia became ill she returned to Greenwood to take care of her.

Leaving to celebrate her life are her children: Roberta and Clarice of Denver, Lynette and Chop of Greenwood, Kenny and Truman of Wagner and Jace of Sioux Falls. She raised many grandchildren: Vony of Avon, Bryan of Denver, Shawn of rural Marty, Stuart of Greenwood, Calvin of Wagner and Susan of NC and was helping raise two great-grandchildren: Demetrius and MaryVirginia (Honeygirl) of Greenwood. She has many, many relatives who are also grieving alongside her children and grandchildren.

Virginia is preceded in death by her parents: Lein and Amelia DeCoteau; her brothers: Francis and Lein; her sister LaVonne; children: Lein “Robin” Arpan, Mabel “Dicey” Thompson and Francis Charles; her grandparents and many, many aunts, uncles and cousins.

Grama Gina was a very sweet, loving and caring mother. She loved her family so much and although she could not see them all, she remembered them in her prayers everyday. She was the very proud grandmother of 33 grandchildren, 77 great-grandchildren, 27 great-great-grandchildren and one great-greatgreat grandchild.