Tony Roach

You often wonder about what happened to your old buddies from childhood. Tony Roach was one such friend for John (Gene) Crowley. He was a Native American boy who used to visit the Crowleys and often played with John when he was young. In fact, John recalls that Tony spent much of one summer with the Crowleys near Thunder Butte and a good portion of the three or four years following when he was a boy. Someone sent John an obituary about Tony. From the Faith Independent on August 6, 1997--”Anthony 'Tony' Roach age 82 of Dupree, SD, passed away on Tuesday, July 29, 1997 at the HIS Hospital in Eagle Butte.”

The obituary goes on to say that Tony “was born on April 4, 1915 at Cherry Creek, SD to Carter Charles and Jennie (Cheyenne Women) Roach. He lived on the family estate north of Iron Lightning. He worked for Adolph Silverman at Dupree, and the Wally Knight Ranch, for BIA Roads Dept. for 10 years, for Marion McDaniel of Lantry and for Frank Ganje. He worked for the CRST Roads Dept. as a heavy equipment operator and as a mechanic; and he was involved in ranching. He married Elizabeth Yellow Owl and then remarried to Lydia Hollow Horn.” According to the notice, Tony was survived by eight children, thirty grandchildren, and twenty-nine great grandchildren.

--Mike Crowley