George Vernon Renville Jr.

The Chief of our Family, George V Renville Jr. passed away on Wednesday, April 01, 2026, surrounded by his Tribe.

A time of visitation was held at the Coleman Mortuary on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The funeral mass was held at 12:00 PM on April 8, 2026, at Our Lady of Good Help Catholic Church. Interment will be held at St. Simon & Jude Cemetery in Flandreau, South Dakota at 12:00 PM on Monday April 13, 2026.

George Vernon Renville Jr. was born on July 26, 1941, in Sisseton, South Dakota to George Victor Renville and Irene Elinor Hanson Renville. George was an enrolled member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Sioux Tribe. George was a lineal descendant of Chief Gabriel Renville, also known as Ti’wakan (Sacred Lodge) who was appointed by his people as Chief-for-Life of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Sioux.

George obtained his formal education in the Dakotas and unknowingly met the Greatest Catch of his Life, Madonna, in second grade! They would learn this years later when going through photos and realizing they had the same second grade class picture!

In 1959 George enlisted in the Army National Guard and served until his honorable discharge in 1967.

George and Madonna were married on January 26th, 1963, at St Mary’s Church in Rock Island, Illinois and had a double wedding with Madonna’s sister Carol and her husband Tom. George enjoyed taking Madonna to as many music concerts as he possibly could and together, they got to witness many of country music’s legends including George’s favorite, Johnny Cash.

George and Madonna had a beautiful and loving marriage of 63 years and were blessed with 8 children from 1964 -1983. Those 8 children would eventually give him grandpa status with 16 grandchildren, and as it goes, great grandpa to one great granddaughter. George enjoyed family camping vacations, going to sporting events with his children, cheering on his children and grandchildren in all their sporting and academic pursuits. George was a man of the outdoors. While in the Dakota’s he enjoyed pheasant hunting and lake fishing in Minnesota. When he moved his family to Washington state, he was able to continue fishing and added chartered ocean fishing to his enjoyments. George also really enjoyed bowling and was very proud to be awarded the trophy as the Wind Street Champ after almost striking a perfect game.

While working fulltime, George received his Bachelor of Science and Education from Dakota State College in 1970. He then went on and received his Master of Arts from the University of South Dakota in 1972. George worked as a Guidance Counselor at the Flandreau Indian School and the Rosebud Indian School in Mission South Dakota. George was 2 years into his post-master’s in education and was only a dissertation short of his Doctorate but stopped pursuing it In 1978 as he was offered a job of a lifetime and moved the family to Hoquiam, Washington to begin his career with the Bureau of Indian Affairs as an Employment Assistance Counselor. Let it be known, had online courses existed at that time he would have completed his doctorate! He retired from The Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1996.

To not mention the devotion George had to the Seattle Sports Teams would be a grave mistake. He had to have clocked a minimum of 10,000 losses of Mariner games hoping every year that, “This is the Year” and boy did they get close this last year! Thankfully, his disappointment would quickly dissipate as the Seahawks season would start and give him new hope. Lucky for him his steadfast cheering landed the Seahawks 2 Superbowl titles! Good thing he abandoned those Minnesota Vikings with his move to Washington State! He was also a Husky, Coug, and Gonzaga fan as well.

If you were to ask George what his biggest accomplishments in his life were, he would undoubtedly tell you it was his Catholic Faith and the Family he created. He was a lifetime member of the Knights of Columbus. He received the Knight of the Year in 2003 and 2017, Faithful Navigator 2008-2010, Bishop ODCA Assembly. It was with his unwavering faith that he had the courage and peace to face his health problems these last few years. Never once did he complain.

He was preceded in death by his precious son Kevin Glenn Renville; his parents George and Irene Renville; Brother Charles “Chuck” Renville; and sisters Darlene and Adaire.

George is survived by his wife Madonna Renville of Hoquiam; Son George “Mike” Renville (Susan) of Tacoma; son Gerald “Jerry” Renville of Hoquiam; daughter Dacia Lackey (Jeff) of Sarasota, FL; daughter Denise Renville of Hoquiam; son Gabriel “Gabe” Renville (Karen) of Coupeville WA; son Gregory “Greg” Renville (Erika) of Clovis CA; and son Garret Renville (Stefani) of Walla Walla WA; Grandchildren Lauren, Hannah, Corrina, Breanna, Emma, Jack, Cordell, Fiona, Paige, Hayden, Rylee, Reagan, Reece, Remington, Mac, and Kevin; great granddaughter Rosemary; brother Dennis Renville of Bismark, ND.