Florine Garcia

Florine (Toto) was born February 4, 1932, at home in Veblen South Dakota to Samuel DuMarce Sr. and Eva Ella Robertson and was a member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe. Florine went home to be with our Lord on June 1, 2023.

Florine attended Tekakwitha Orphanage School, the first group of children to reside there, where she learned to sew and went on to design her and her children’s clothes and also many quilts over the years.

She went on to Wahpeton Indian School for grades 9-10 then transferred to Flandreau Indian School for 1.5 years. She enjoyed math and geography and playing baseball as a pitcher. She was the oldest daughter of 13 children and was called home to help on the farm.

She was married to Joseph Garcia. She worked at Baxter Healthcare Round Lake, Illinois in the payroll office then retired to Niota, Tennessee. She loved flowers, eating out, yard sales, thrift stores, fixing puzzles, crocheting kitchen towels and visits with her children.

She is preceded in death by her parents, her brother Solomon, Levi, Sam Alec (Chaske), Sampson Sr., Hazen, Samuel Jr. (Sonny), Elijah (baby), her sisters Lucy LaCroix, and Agnes (baby), her husband Joseph.

She is survived by her sisters Clarine (Cisti) Everette, Lily Renville, and June Blanton. Her children, Monica Max, Vanessa Long (Jimmy), Patricia Lapinski (Ken), Diane Taylor (Ward), Jacqueline Culp (Dennis), Dean Garcia (Kim), Teresa Smith, Consuelo Dudley (Gary), Michelle Bednarz (Robert), and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. A special thanks to her neighbor Gil Ferrell for all her help and all of the healthcare workers involved in her care over the years.

Florine passed away peacefully, at home, at the age of 91 surrounded by her family. She was loved and she will be greatly missed.