Mass of Christian burial for Douglas Michael White Bull, Sungila Ska, 83, of Kenel, will be at 11:00 am, Saturday, October 3, 2026, at Catholic Church of Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary in Kenel. Burial will follow at the church cemetery. A rosary will be held at 2:30 pm, Friday, October 2, 2026, at St. Bernard Catholic Church in McLaughlin, with a procession leaving promptly after to Catholic Church of Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary with a visitation starting at 5:00 pm, in Kenel. Funeral services are entrusted with Kesling Funeral Home of Mobridge.

Douglas Michael White Bull (Šuŋǧíla Šká), 83, of Kenel, South Dakota, passed away on September 23, 2026, at the Walworth County Care Center in Selby, South Dakota.

Born on August 23, 1943, to Jacob and Julia (RedFish) Whitebull, Douglas was raised near Mahto, South Dakota, as part of a very musical family where many played the guitar and he often sang alongside his brother Rueben. Known for his warm sense of humor and love of visiting, Douglas had a characteristic, silent laugh where his shoulders would bounce up and down. He attended Pierre Indian School and graduated from Fort Yates High School in 1963 before earning his degree from Black Hills State College. He graduated on May 10, 1974, with his B.S. in Education and Major in Elementary Education and Minor Sociology.

A man of deep spirituality, Douglas was guided through life by a strong faith rooted in both his Catholic upbringing and his proud Lakota heritage. He was baptized Catholic as a child and in his later years, he attended church at St. Bernard’s in McLaughlin and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kenel. He honored both traditions, finding prayer in the church as well as in sweat lodges. He went to Bear Butte for his hanblecheye (vision quest), where he earned his Lakota name, Šuŋǧíla Šká (White Fox).

Douglas dedicated his life to education, athletics, and mentoring young people across "Indian Country" in North Dakota and South Dakota. As a teacher and legendary high school coach, he led varsity boys' and girls' basketball teams at Fort Yates, Lower Brule, Crow Creek, Eagle Butte, McLaughlin, and Wakpala, and served as a teacher and coach at Rock Creek and Little Eagle. He also had a passion for football and coached teams at Lower Brule and Crow Creek. With the creation of Warrior Pride on the Move running club, he was deeply involved in coaching AAU sports, tirelessly fundraising to take youth track and field and cross-country qualifiers to National meets across the country, including trips to Kansas City, Fresno, San Antonio, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. Coach White Bull played an important role in helping develop his nephews into outstanding cross country and track athletes and state champions.

A towering figure in high school athletics, Coach White Bull’s career was defined by his unwavering commitment to his athletes and remarkable personal resilience. Diagnosed with glaucoma in the early 1980s, Douglas navigated vision issues throughout the majority of his career. He never complained about his condition, and only his close family knew the extent of his vision loss. Though legally blind for many years which prevented him from driving he refused to let it slow him down and simply walked wherever he needed to go.

A pinnacle moment came at the 28th Annual Lakota Nation Invitational in December 2004, when he led the Lower Brule Sioux to a thrilling 44-40 victory over St. Thomas More to capture the LNI Championship title and earn the tournament’s Outstanding Coach award. In 2005, his decades of leadership, sportsmanship, and dedication were formally recognized with the South Dakota High School Activities Association (SDHSAA) Distinguished Service Award. In 2023, Douglas suffered a stroke and lost his vision completely shortly thereafter, facing these later health challenges with the same quiet strength that defined his entire life.

Douglas was preceded in death by his parents, Jacob and Julia Whitebull; his siblings Cecil, Jacob, Cynthia, Alex, Patrick, Albert, Wilbert, Veronica, Rita, and Rueben; his first wife, Roberta Tiger, and later by his second wife, Joyce LaRoche; as well as his sons, Douglas White Bull Jr., Greg LaRoche, and Brian Marshall.

He is survived by his loving children: Wilbert (Wendy) White Bull, Juliana (Crawford) White Bull, Gayla (Jim) Schock, and Jonny White Bull; his son Delray Demery; his adopted son, John Red Legs; and many cherished grandchildren, nieces, extended family members and hunka relatives.

Beyond his achievements on the court and in the classroom, Coach White Bull will be remembered for his steadfast commitment to his community, his family, and the generations of students he guided on and off the playing fields and basketball courts.