Kenneth Taylor Ghost Bear, age 83, of Lemmon, SD, passed away peacefully at his home on Monday, July 28th, 2025.

Services will be held on August 21st, 2025 at 1pm at the Evanson-Jensen Prince of Peace Chapel in Lemmon, SD with Carolyn Petik officiating.

Kenny was born in Pine Ridge, SD on June 1st, 1942 to Louise Running Shield and George Ghost Bear.  Kenny was raised by his grandmother, Nora Feather On Hand, until he was admitted to SDDC-Redfield in February of 1956.  He remained at Redfield until October of 1984 when at the age of 42, he came to LIVE, Inc in Lemmon, SD where he resided until the time of his death.

Kenny loved to work and stay busy, even if it meant sweeping or shoveling snow—he was on it.  He was always looking for something to do and somewhere to go.  He worked on Wheeler Manufacturing jewelry in LIVE Center, Inc.'s workshop for 35 years, retiring in 2020 at the age of 78.  Kenny also worked on many of LIVE Center's community janitorial work crews over the years, including the Lemmon Livestock, Water Hole #3, the Steak House, Sugar Shack, American Legion and Boomers just to name a few.  But Kenny's greatest work interests were in the areas of lawn care and wood working.  He always wanted to be involved in LIVE Center's Unfinished Furniture Showroom when it came time to assemble, sand and stain the furniture, no matter the size of the project.  And when it came to working on LIVE's lawn crew, Kenny was always ready to go and eager to learn new skills.  He was even known to take a lawn mower away from others so he could just take off mowing, doing his own thing!  Even at his house on weekends and evenings, during the summer months he often enjoyed tinkering in the yard either raking, pulling weeds or testing the produce from the garden.  Staff at LIVE note that Kenny would let them know if anything was out of line in the garden or needed attention in the yard.

Kenny did not speak with words much, but sure was able to communicate!  He loved to lead people over to things he wanted them to see or point to certain things while getting a mischievous twinkle in his eye.  Often, he'd be pointing to an action movie on TV, then pointing to himself as if to tell staff he could do what they were doing on TV, then would just smile that big smile, like he was so proud of himself.  Then he'd just rub his eyes and laugh.  He had a great sense of humor, yet if he was mad enough, he found his words!

Kenny truly was such a kind and gentle soul, especially when it came to babies and animals.  He always loved to give children a big smile and a wave whether it be in church or at a sporting event.  Kenny was an avid sports fan and could be seen at many Lemmon High School sporting events.  He was a member of the Lemmon Sports Boosters club, and loved to watch the Lemmon Cowboys and Cowgirls compete, no matter what the sport.  Some of Kenny's hobbies included all things creative, which included coloring on a routine basis. He was really just a big kid at heart, but also loved watching his WWE/WWF on TV.  Years ago, he even traveled to a few live WWE events.  Kenny was very proud of his Native American heritage, so LIVE Center staff were sure to help him decorate his surroundings to reflect his culture preferences.

Kenny is survived by all his friends at LIVE Center, Inc., who were considered his family.  He will be missed by many but we are comforted knowing that he had a long, happy life here in Lemmon.