Alfred Francis Jetty

Deacon Alfred F. “Bud” Jetty died peacefully on April 4, 2025, at Oak Park Place in Madison, WI. He was born to Fred and Angeline (Morin) Jetty on April 7, 1933, in Fort Totten, ND. Growing up on the Spirit Lake Reservation in North Dakota, he attended elementary school at St. Michael’s Catholic Mission School. He went to high school at St. Paul’s Mission in Marty, SD, where he graduated in 1953.

An active member in his close-knit high school class of 14, he participated in choir, glee club, band, and drama. He was student manager of Marty’s basketball team, and he was especially proud of his four years playing the center position on the school’s undefeated six-man football team. Bud and his fellow seniors contributed to the team’s 38-game winning streak.

Upon graduation from Marty in 1953, Bud enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and completed basic training at Camp Pendleton, CA. His three-year enlistment was cut short due to a color vision abnormality, and he was honorably discharged in October 1953. Bud’s early discharge became a blessing that allowed him to return to North Dakota, where he would meet the love of his life.

Back in Spirit Lake, Bud was hired as the mailing supervisor at St. Michael’s Mission, which was operated by the Benedictine Monks of Blue Cloud Abbey. It was there he met Frances Laverdure, a secretary at the mission. On Frances’s first day of work, she dropped a file of mailing labels, and Bud assisted her with the file cleanup. The two were married by Father Stanislaus Maudlin at St. Ann’s Church on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in Belcourt, ND, on September 4, 1954. In 1957, Bud and Frances transferred to Stephan, SD, where he was employed as the mail room supervisor, and she as a secretary at the Stephan Indian Mission, roles they enjoyed for 19 years. Each of their three children were born during this time: Anna Marie in 1960, Ronald in 1966, and Michael in 1968.

Bud and Frances moved their family to Highmore in 1976, and on July 1, Bud took on the role of Clerk of Courts Magistrate for Hyde County, SD. He provided distinguished service in that role for 20 years. An example of his dedication included service on the South Dakota Unified Judicial System’s Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Bias Committee. Upon Alfred’s retirement in 1996, then-presiding Sixth Circuit Justice Patrick McKeever said, “The Unified Judicial System is much stronger because of the leadership provided from the Hyde County Clerk’s office under the leadership of Alfred ‘Bud’ Jetty on both the local and state level.” Citing Bud’s efforts for South Dakota’s court system and on fighting racism in the state, Governor William Janklow declared June 14, 1996, as Alfred “Bud” Jetty Day.

A devout Catholic, Bud joined the Knights of Columbus in 1965. He held several local offices, including Grand Knight, before moving on to state leadership roles. These positions included District Deputy, State Council Activities Director, State Treasurer, and State Secretary. He was ultimately elected State Deputy for the South Dakota Knights of Columbus, a position he held from 1991 through 1993. The first American Indian person to serve in this capacity, Bud prioritized the establishment of the Native American Cultural Exchange Program. The program, which is still in existence, supports student exchanges between young people from Indian and non-Indian communities. Bud was convinced that through early education, people could eliminate barriers and achieve cross-cultural understanding and respect. In 2003, Alfred “Bud” Jetty was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in recognition of this important work and for his years of distinguished state leadership..

In 1991, Bishop Paul Dudley named Bud and Frances the Native American liaisons for the Diocese of Sioux Falls. They served together in this capacity for three bishops before retiring in 2011. Together, they traveled thousands of miles throughout South Dakota providing spiritual support and friendship to Native American Catholics. For this work, Pope John Paul II honored Bud and Frances in 1997 with the Pro Ecclesia Et Pontifice Award of Merit. Bud also worked with Frances as she involved herself in leadership in the annual Tekakwitha Conference, organized by a group of Catholic Native Americans who sought recognition from the Vatican for the good works of Kateri Tekakwitha. Bud proudly supported Frances when she served as 2003 conference co-chair on the Tekakwitha Conference's return to South Dakota for the first time in 24 years.

Longtime friend Father David Axtman was the first to encourage Bud to consider becoming a permanent deacon in the Catholic Church. Bud accepted the calling and completed his studies with the Institute of Religious Studies of the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls in 2001. Ordained by Bishop Robert Carlson, Bud would go on to serve as the deacon for St. James Parish in Chamberlain, SD, for many years. In 2012, Bud traveled to Rome to attend the canonization of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American saint.

Bud and Frances were married for 64 years. Following her death in 2018, Bud moved to Madison, WI, to be near his son and daughter-in-law. He will be remembered for his strong faith, his devotion to family and friends, his kind spirit, and his keen sense of humor.

Bud was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Frances, his daughter Anna Marie, brother Oliver, sisters Nora Ives, Sarah Hoven, Eleanor Langstaff, Inez Jetty, Vivian Borseth, and Jeanne Mudgett. He is survived by sisters Marianne McCulloch and Julie King; foster sister Renita Delorme; sons Ronald (Tammy Kempfert), Madison WI, and Michael (Laura Ferguson), Helena, MT; foster sons Henry Bucholz and Bruce Bucholz, Highmore, SD; and grandchildren Rosie Ferguson and Sapphire Ferguson Jetty, Missoula, MT; Charles Jetty, Washington DC; and Rachel Hepper, Sioux Falls, SD.

A rosary service will be held at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 9, 2025, at St. Ann's Catholic Church in Belcourt, ND, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. and a burial at St. Ann's Catholic Cemetery.

In memory of Bud’s life, the family asks that any charitable donations be made to the Dakota Milestone’s Foundation, PO Box 248, Chamberlain, SD 57325.

Cress Funeral Service

3325 E. Washington Ave. Madison, WI 53704

608-249-6666