Funeral services for Kristy R. Big Eagle, 46, of Fort Thompson, SD will be 1:00 p.m., Saturday, November 29, 2025 at the Diamond Willow Ministries in Fort Thompson, SD with burial in the Lakeview Cemetery at Fort Thompson, SD.  Wake services will be 7:00 p.m. Friday at Diamond Willow Ministries in Fort Thompson, SD.

Anyone wishing to follow, the procession will leave from funeral home on Friday at 2:00 p.m.

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Kristy Rae Big Eagle was born on March 17, 1979 in Chamberlain, SD to Duane Big Eagle, Sr. and Diana Marie Big Eagle.

Kristy died peacefully at Sanford Medical Center in Sioux Falls, SD on November 22, 2025, surrounded by her family and shrouded in their love.

Kristy attended Ft. Thompson elementary school and graduated both middle school and high school from Crow Creek Tribal School where she lived in the dorms during her school years.

After high school, Kristy joined the United States Army and graduated from basic training in Fort Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina where she proudly qualified as "Expert" shooter and relentlessly heckled the rest of the men in her unit who did not. She did her AIT at Red Stone Arsenal in Alabama. She received an honorable discharge and returned to Ft. Thompson where she gave birth to her beloved son Brendyn Levi Big Eagle who lived for 3 1/2 wonderful months. Kristy grieved her first born son for 26 years and now joins him in paradise.

Kristy was exceptionally proud of passing the physical test to become a firefighter with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Wildland Department where she responded to several fires with her unit. Kristy also did a short stint as a tough woman boxer and won the tough woman competition during Rumble on the Rez at various casinos in South Dakota.

Kristy loved spending time outside just hanging out on the deck watching the sunrise or the sunset, or cruising around listening to music and singing out loud in the car. She loved her self-care and would spend hours doing her nails when she was not trying to get someone from Facebook to take her fishing for walleye or give her a ride to the store.

She loved cheering on the Green Bay Packers on game day, and mostly laughing….a lot.  Kristy had a unique way of finding humor in every situation no matter what the circumstances were and she laughed way too hard at things, which made the people around her laugh just as hard. Those of us who were lucky enough to know Kristy will miss her fascinating sense of humor and her contagious laughter more than anything.

This world will have less laughter without Kristy and it will certainly be a much quieter place. We will miss her larger-than-life personality, but our hope is that she was greeted in the spirit world by her mother and father and is now joyfully reunited with her son Brendyn Levi and her grandson Levi Duane. Together, they will comfort her children and family from the spirit world until we meet again.

Kristy is survived by her 8 other children whom she loved dearly. Diana Elizabeth Williams, Trudy Alexis Williams, Darius Donald Williams, Jerome James Big Eagle, Alyssa Jo Big Eagle and Jubilee Rain McBride.  She is also survived by her sisters Marlys Big Eagle, Sunny Big Eagle and Virginia DeGarmo and her brothers Eric Big Eagle, Weston Big Eagle, Micah Big Eagle and Duane Big Eagle. Jr. as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Kristy also gave the ultimate selfless gifts to Tony and Lisa Sonnenberg when they adopted her son Tate and to Ryan and Ann Overby who adopted her daughter Alaina, and to Shane and Jessica Big Eagle who adopted her daughter Jubilee.

Along with all of her children, Kristy fiercely loved, doted on and was so proud of her grandchildren Layla, Jaxson, Khaleesi, Ivy, Amias, and her beloved Levi Duane who she now joins in paradise.

Kristy was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents John and Leona Big Eagle, her maternal grandparents Elmer Sonny Ziegler and Elizabeth Rabbit, her parents Duane Big Eagle, Sr. and Diana Big Eagle, her brothers Paul Ziegler and Cory Big Eagle, her son Brendyn Levi Big Eagle and grandson Levi Duane Horse Looking.