Khalid Garreau
March 18, 2000 –July 21, 2023
Mass of Christian burial for Khalid Garreau, 23, of Eagle Butte was held Saturday, July 29, 2023, at the All Saint's Catholic Church in Eagle Butte. Khalid passed away Friday, July 21, 2023, in Rapid City. Burial will be at a later date under the direction Kesling Funeral Home of Mobridge.
Khalid Reese Garreau “Tasunka Ota” was born in Pierre on March 18, 2000 to Heather Taken Alive and Sonny Wayne Garreau.
He attended Head Start, first and second grade at Cheyenne Eagle Butte then his family moved to the Black Hills. There he attended Canyon Lake Elementary, then West Middle School and graduated from Rapid City’s Stevens High School in 2018. He played one season of football for West. He played the violin in the orchestra, sang in the choir, and excelled in the debate club.
After taking a gap year, Khalid attended Georgia State University. He loved to travel, something he shared with his Mom. Bethany Beach in Delaware was a special place to him they spent many weekends there and also explored the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. They traveled together to Hawaii in 2015 and also made a trip through Ontario, Canada. He traveled to Turkey, and Bosnia for a Model UN event. He climbed Machu Pichu in Peru while in high school with his Spanish class. He spoke Spanish and took two years of Mandarin Chinese. He visited New York City many times with Leo Benator, the love of his life, but he especially loved Washington, DC.
He was brave, independent, loving and fun. He was curious and adventurous. Everywhere he went he made friends. He was determined and steadfast.
Khalid graduated in May with a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Science, with emphases in Political Science and Sociology. He graduated summa cum laude with 4.12 GPA making Georgia State’s President List.
He was a fierce advocate for our people. He was proud to have been given his Lakota name in July 2022 by Gerald Yellow Hawk.
He was his mother’s heart and her biggest supporter–so proud of her service in the Army Reserve Nurse Corps and as a traveling nurse. They were in constant contact; shared the same sense of humor and loved each other’s company. He was the best of us all, and we were blessed to know him.
He is survived by his mother, Heather Taken Alive of Rapid City; his father Sonny Wayne Garreau of Eagle Butte; brother Kingston Reese Garreau; his grandparents Wayne and Toni (Pearman) Garreau; uncle Carl Fast Eagle, Jr., aunt Nicole Garreau; uncle Alex Pearman, aunt Diane Garreau; cousins Tristan, Alexis, Claire, Sophia, Saydee; his aunt Ila Weasel; his best friends Athena Stultz, Sydney Moore, Ben Daley; and his partner of five years, Leo Benator.
Greeting him in the spirit world are his sibling Htayetu Wicapi Garreau; his grandmother Delores Taken Alive; and his great-grandparents Iyonne and Ellsworth Garreau and Kenneth and Stella Pearman.