Shane E. Bear Heels was born in Rosebud, South Dakota to Arlene Bear Heels. He has one sister, Ernestine Bear Heels of White River SD and one adopted brother, John Bear Heels of Norris SD.
Shane grew up in the Norris/Black Pipe community. He attended Norris school through the 8th grade. In 1982 he began his high school career in White River, SD where he graduated in 1986. He always joked and contributed this achievement to his classmates. In an article he wrote in the Lakota Times, in 2008, he said “I would always have my classmates do my homework.” This is true and he also cheated off of us during tests. Shane had this uncanny knack of being able to get people to do things for him that you knew were not right, but you did them anyway. He knew that if he was cheating off of one of the “real smart ones”, to make some mistakes so the teachers wouldn’t catch on!
After graduation and when Shane was 19, he attended WDT in Rapid City, SD. In 1988, he earned his degree as a diesel mechanic. He also attended school to be an electrician and he received his electrical journeyman’s license. He worked for a local electric company, was promoted to a foreman and was tasked with overseeing the electrical work at Prairie Winds Casino. He loved this line of work and said, “That was the best job I ever had.”
The proudest moment in Shane’s life was when he became a dad. His son Davyd was born Nov. 14, 2000. Shane said, “My son, Davyd, is my whole life.” and he was.
After an accident in September of 2001 that broke his neck and left him a quadriplegic and confined to a wheelchair, Shane had to adjust and accept a new way of life. He had many options of where to live. Move back home to Norris or choose to live in Rapid City, Sioux Falls or Colorado. in 2002, he chose to live at the White River Healthcare Center, where he lived for 20 years. During his time at the WRHC, Shane made an impact on how healthcare was delivered to the elders. He said, “I fight for the elders’ rights”, and he did just that. Anytime Shane was “monitoring” the hallways, the staff was always “busy” and if Shane saw that an elder wasn’t being tended to in a timely manner, he made sure to let them know…just ask any of them.
He loved to oversee the progress of care provided and given to the elders, he was their eyes, ears and voice! He was also an advocate for himself. He knew exactly what he needed, and he was very specific on the care he received. He trained all of the staff on his expectations and was particular when it came to making sure he was turned at the right times, how his teeth were brushed and only a select few were allowed to cut his hair.
Shane had many accomplishments through the years. In December 2008, he wrote an article for the Lakota Times, what alcohol has done for me. He traveled to many schools and gave talks on drinking and driving and the lasting effects it could have on your life. He continued to take classes on a part time basis at Sinte’ Gleska University, pursuing a business degree. Does anyone else find it funny that Shane had us doing all his homework in High School, yet he had 2 degrees and working on his 3rd???
Shane led and was active in resident council ~president. He advocated for residents daily. He would sit in the hallway to ensure call lights were answered and nurses were making their rounds. He Attend Tribal Council meeting frequently to advocate for help with upgrades, better pay for the staff and more accountability of leadership. The residents would go to him if they needed help or if they were not getting something they needed. The residents trusted and loved Shane.
Shane had to overcome many obstacles. He had to learn to communicate with a voice activated computer. He used a mouth stick to text and call. He used a blow stick to move his wheelchair… and if he ran in to you, it wasn’t an accident! He became a master at all of these things.
Shane will be remembered by many as a crazy, fun, light-hearted and jokester kind of guy. He made this apparent on the morning he made his journey. Shane knew how hard it would be for us to let him leave this mortal world so as we (Ernestine, Sharon and Lila) along with the 2 nurses prepared ourselves for what would be the last breath we would see him take, he kept us guessing. He stopped breathing for 4 minutes, then all of the sudden he was back. He did this 3 times, we just giggled because we knew Shane and we knew he was messing with us. After the fact, the nurses told us that while he was making his journey, in another room that was empty, the alarms kept going off. They even took the monitor out of the room because they thought it was malfunctioning. We had to let them in on how Shane was and that he was just messing with them too. He was always laughing, nothing seemed to bother him. He just lived life. He had an infectious smile, the biggest heart, he was a loyal friend and a great dad. He was strong and courageous.
When Davyd made his journey to the spirt world May 20, 2021, it was devasting for Shane and he struggled to keep a positive outlook on life. He said, ” My son, the elders and the high school students who work at the nursing home give me a reason to continue living.”
One elder told him early on during his time at the nursing home that he had to be responsible for the elders because he had his mind, and he had a voice. He took this job seriously and he was relentless in his pursuit to ensure the residents received quality care. There is no doubt that Shane’s purpose in life was to be an advocate for the elders. Shane made his journey to the spirit world July 16, 2022.
Shane is survived by: sister, Ernestine Bear Heels and adopted brother, John Bear Heels. One uncle, Alvin Bear Heels, Sr and two Aunties Carol Bordeaux-Orr and Patricia Cooley, Niece KaSondra Bear Heels, Special friend, Sharon Brandis~Wickham and her family and all of his relatives and friends.
Shane is preceded in death by his Mother Arlene Bear Heels, son Davyd Paul as well as some of his relatives and friends.
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