Anderson Funeral Home
Homeserving families for over 70 years
312 South Stone St.
Augusta, WI 54722
715-286-2222
Charity Thunder
Charity Mary Thunder, Ho-hamp-gi-kee-day-wi (Lights Up the Earth), 71, of Black River Falls, passed away on July 1, surrounded by family at the Black River Falls Memorial Hospital.
She was born in Galesville, WI, to Frank B. and Mary GreenCrow Thunder. She had a strong, abiding faith in God, and one of her most cherished memories was of having been baptized into and being a lifelong member of the Native American Church. She attended elementary andhigh school in Fairchild, Wisconsin, and continued her education at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, earning her Bachelors Degree in Sociology in 1978, and later in her life, she earned her Master of Arts in Leadership from Augsburg College. She was an active educator throughout her life and a champion for meaningful Native participation in education and for honoring our Ho-Chunk culture and traditions in all that we do. She is remembered by many in the Black River Falls community for her advocacy for Native students (whether it meant encouraging, supporting, coaxing, or coercing the students, parents, teachers or administrators), and building meaningful learning opportunities for both Native and non-Native communities in the BRF School District. Most recently her efforts continued, working with Ho-Chunk youth through the Resource Center in the Ho-Chunk Nation Department of Social Services. She also served as a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation Clan Mothers.
She is well-remembered by those who knew her for her love, compassion, generosity, her caring spirit, and her sense of humor. She is survived by her brothers, Gordon (Beverly) Thunder of Fairchild, Levi Sr. of Fairchild, WI, and Josiah Sr. of Tomah, WI; sisters, Myrtle Long of Osseo, WI, Hope Smith of Vesper, WI, and Faye (Irwin) Begay of Black River Falls, WI; numerous nieces and nephews; sons and daughters through Ho-Chunk kinship; and many, many grandchildren and extended family, all of whom she loved and who loved her in return.
She joins her parents and sister Faith Matter in the spirit world, along with her nephews Jonathon, Levi Jr., Tim, and nieces Darlene Thunder and Cindy Decorah, andbrother-in-law Douglas Long.
Native American Church funeral services were held at the Thunder Family homestead, off Hwy12, on County Rd. RR, in Fairchild, Wisconsin on Monday evening and into Tuesday with the funeral rites onJuly 4th. at 1:00pm. Burial was in the Fairchild Cemetery.
The family was assisted by the Anderson Funeral Home in Augusta.
