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Debra “Tiny” Lee (Dauer) Oban, age 71, of Sturgis, South Dakota, passed away peacefully in her sleep at home on July 8, 2026. She was born on October 4, 1954, in Faulkton, South Dakota. Her nickname, “Tiny,” came shortly after her birth, when the doctor who delivered her jokingly told her father in the waiting room that she was “tiny”—even though she weighed 11 pounds. Debra grew up with deep family roots in South Dakota, especially in the Loyalton area, where she was proud that her family helped establish the town. She lived in California for many years before returning to South Dakota in 1992 to be closer to her parents. A graduate of Royal Oak High School, Class of 1972, she later attended Citrus College, where she studied early childhood education and earned her cosmetology license while studying under Vidal Sassoon. During that time, she grew her hair out, and she was so proud to have such beautiful long hair that went all the way to her hips. One of her treasured memories from that time was taking classes alongside her mother, Patricia. As a young girl, Debra dreamed of becoming a cosmetologist, and she carried that passion throughout her life. She worked as a cosmetologist while living in California, and even after leaving the beauty industry, she continued caring for her family through haircuts, highlights, and frosting the girls’ hair at home. All the girls enjoyed sitting in her chair and handing her freshly torn sheets of tinfoil to put in their hair. After moving back to South Dakota, she worked at Black Hills Special Services and Timberline Treatment Center, caring for teenage boys in an inpatient drug and alcohol program, and later served as a Direct Support Professional at Northern Hills Training Center. Both roles reflected her lifelong desire to help and care for others. Debra also spent more than 16 years driving the Deadwood Trolley, a job she took great pride in. She loved meeting people from all walks of life, showing them the old western town of Deadwood, and being in what she called the center of the Black Hills. Although retiring from the trolley was difficult for her, she had begun planning her well-deserved retirement for September. Family was at the center of Debra’s life. She often said her proudest moment was giving birth to her daughter, Vicki, with her mother by her side. She believed deeply in honoring family, respecting elders, and cherishing children, and she believed two-handed hugs were incredibly important to share with those she loved. She loved spending time with her daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Her favorite things to do with her family were getting pedicures with her daughter Vicki, going out for Mexican food for dinner, and watching movies with her older grandkids. She loved going to fun places around the Black Hills like WaTiki and JumpCraze, especially during the Rally with her younger grandkids, and taking her great-grandchildren to fun places like SturCrazy, JumpCraze, or RunWild. She also enjoyed doing crafts and art projects she found on Facebook, and simply watching them play outside. Debra loved to garden years ago with her best friend Kathy before her health began to decline. She wasn’t the best cook and she knew it, but she loved making her famous Steak Picado Burritos with homemade tortilla chips and Chicken Taquitos for her family because those were two dishes they enjoyed more than any others. She also carried on a tradition where she crocheted baby blankets for new babies in her family. She made blankets for her daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren as they were born, and those blankets have become treasured gifts, especially now. She loved listening to Elvis Presley, and in recent years enjoyed Kenny G. and old-time western music while working around her home or resting in bed. She always loved returning to California to spend time with people dear to her, including her best friends Roy and Pam and her little brother Rodney, whom she cherished dearly and helped care for medically over the last couple of years. Her faith and service were an important part of her life. Debra spent years volunteering and delivering for Meals on Wheels. She also served for several years as principal and Director of Religious Education for the CCD program at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Sturgis until 2004. In 2021, she returned to the program when her granddaughter Callie asked her to co-teach a second-grade class. Debra loved teaching the children about the Catholic faith, and the class brought her great joy. Together, Debra and Callie helped several close family members receive their First Reconciliation and First Communion, including her grandsons Kahle and Domenyk in 2021 and her great-granddaughters Bailee in 2024 and Summer this past April. She was also a Confirmation sponsor for her grandkids Callie in 2012, Trent in 2014, Donavin in 2017, and Kaden in 2021. She was incredibly proud of them all for such big accomplishments and was honored to be such a big part of their faith journeys. Debra is survived by her daughter, Vicki Dawn (Dan) Olson; her bonus children, Jodi Bailey, Bobbie (Casey) Bailey, and Shannon (Brandon Bittle) Lenain; her grandchildren, Callie Lee ”Plug-in baby” (Cody) Taken, Trent Olson, Donavin Randy “D” (Allie Gibbs) Olson, Sarah Dawn “Sarah Bear” (Joe Bauer) Olson, Veronica “Money Mary” (Xavier Knudtson) Olson, Kaden Robert “Green Bean” Olson, Danny “Danny Wil” Wilbert Olson, Kahle Ronald “K” Olson, and Domenyk “Dom” Oban Olson; and her bonus grandchildren, Samantha, Troy, Destiny, Gabrielle, Rilee, Hailee, and Jace James. She is also survived by her great-grandchildren: [Callie’s] Summer “Sums” MaryLee Taken, Jaxon “Jax” WilliamJames Taken, Kyla “Ky” KodiDawn Taken, Jordan Walker, Nathaniel Walker, and Paislee Walker; [Trent’s] Bailee Rae Hodge-Olson and Troy Wilbert Olson; and [Donavin’s] Robert “Shane” Gibbs, Logan Gibbs, Talen “TJ” Gibbs, and Davyn Gibbs. She leaves behind her siblings, Brenda (Gene) Varney and Rodney (Marta) Oban; her nieces and nephews: [Brenda’s] Regina Tallman, Renee Varney, and Robin Varney; [Rodney’s] Laura Oban, Shane Oban, Olivia Oban, Jessica Oban, and Shannon Oban; her beloved dog, Tank; and dear friends Roy Long, Pam Lindquist, and Kathy White. She was preceded in death by her parents, Patricia Mary Oban and Wilbert Vern Oban; the love of her life, Rodney Mundt; her brothers, Ronald Oban, Robert Oban, and Randy Oban; her uncle, Charlie Kaul; two angel babies she lost in pregnancy; 4 angel grandbabies; 9 angel great-grandbabies; and her best friend, Vicki Lee Jones.

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