ZANDER ZEPHIER
Funeral services for Zander Zephier, 23, of Wagner were held Wednesday, December 4 at the National Guard Armory in Wagner. Burial was in St. Paul’s Catholic Cemetery in Marty. Peters Funeral Home in Wagner was in charge of arrangements.
The sun rose on February 17, 2001 as Zander William Zephier was born to Saleena Renee Janis and Alexander Zane Zephier II in Yankton. He was the grandson of Jennifer Lynn Zephier, Lavena Rae Cook and Jeanie Drapeau and the great grandson of Conceta Zephier.
Zander was a kind, caring, funny, wild, and intelligent young man. He was an artist through and through, whether it was drawing, writing, or making music, you knew the creative imagination of Zander the man. Driven by his deep passion for music and writing, he often dedicated his art to those he loved. He could never say “no” to his nieces. He cared for and fiercely protected the women in his life-his grandmothers, his mother, his sister, his cousins, his nieces, and his friends. In the face of a hard life and adversity, Zander stood fearless with the strength of a brave warrior and an unforgettable smile. In a world that often challenges who you are as a person, Zander never lost who he was and left an everlasting mark on every person he met in his life. May we all carry his story in our heart, live the good life, and care for those we love in honor of Zander, Maka Akan Wahbina Mani Hoskins, “Walks on Mother Earth Gently Boy”.
The sun set on November 27, 2024 as Zander began his journey home. Zander will be forever loved and missed by all of his family. His memory and legacy carries on through his nieces: Camari Zephier and Valarie Zephier; sisters: Janiya Zephier and Lola Weddell; brothers: Alexander Zane Zephier III and Tre Goings; mother Saleena Renee Janis and father Alexander Zane Zephier II; grandmothers: Jennifer Lynn Zephier, Lavena Rae Cook, and Jeanie Drapeau; grandfather Marvin Goings; and great grandmother Conceta Zephier. Aunts and Uncles: Jewel, Zena, Todd, Hank, Corey Zephier, and Chloe, Choleah, Julie, Helen Jamison, Melissa Janis, and Marty Goings.
He is welcomed home by his grandparents Herbert William Cook Jr and Alene Janis; great grandparents: Alexander Zane Zephier, Herbert and Helena War Eagle Cook; Grandma Jeff’s brother Todd Alexander Zephier; great-great grandparents: Alice Knudsen and Thomas Wright; great grandmother Conceta’s siblings: Harold Wright, Virgil Wright, Adolf Wright, Ted Wright, Tony Wright, Arthur Wright, Inez Taylor, Juanita Ferneau, Marchita Blair, Carmen LaPointe, Debbie Robinette; Herbert William Cook Jr’s siblings: Betty Drapeau, Marion Weston, Lolita Dion, Blossom and Christine Cook, Andrew Drapeau and Irving Cook Sr.