Marcella LeBeau
Lakota Elder, Nurse Leader, and World War II Veteran
Marcella LeBeau (Wigmuke Waste’ Win /Pretty Rainbow Woman) was born on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in Promise, South Dakota in 1919. Marcella was one of five children born to Florence Four Bear Ryan, who was from the Two Kettles subtribe of the Lakota people, and Joseph M. Ryan, an Irish-American. At the young age of ten, Marcella became responsible for household and childcare responsibilities after her mother passed. She continued to attend Indian Boarding school and later graduated with an undergraduate degree in nursing from St. Mary’s Hospital in Pierre, South Dakota in 1942.
Upon graduation, Marcella began working at a hospital in Michigan. Shortly after, she volunteered to enlist in the United States Army Nurse Corps during World War II. She served in the 76th General Hospital Unit and worked throughout France, England, and Belgium. Most significantly she survived the Battle of the Bulge and a bombing on her hospital in Liege that killed 25 men. She voluntarily left the Army as a First Lieutenant.
Marcella returned to South Dakota and worked for the Indian Health Service for almost 31 years. She was the Director of Nursing for the Eagle Butte Hospital. In 1991, she served on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Council where she pushed for anti-smoking efforts on the reservation. She was successful and is credited with making the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation the first smoke-free community in South Dakota. She is also a founding member of the North American Indian Women’s Association which is an educational and service association to improve intertribal communication, family life, and promote health and education initiatives for North American Indian people.
Marcella has been recognized for her service as a professional nurse, veteran, and leader within her community. In 2004, she received the French Legion of Honor Medal. She was also awarded the Mable Ann Wagner Award for exceptional nursing service. She was also inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2020, she was recognized by the National Congress of American Indians with a Leadership Award. Despite her lengthy contributions, Marcella remains politically active and most recently advocated for the Remove the Stain Act in Congress. This Act seeks to rescind medals of honor from U.S. soldiers who participated in the Wounded Knee Massacre.
Married with eight children, Marcella remains active as a caregiver, gardener, and participates in speaking engagements around the nation sharing her knowledge and experiences. She celebrated her 102 birthday this past October.
Further Resources
Learn about Native American history and the nursing profession.
Support the National Alaska Native American Indian Nurses Association.
Watch Marcella’s full interview with the American Veteran Center
Sources
The sources used for the above biography was referenced from South Dakota Hall of Fame, The Library of Congress, and South Dakota State University.
Learn More
To learn more about inclusion in nursing and be part of the national discussion to address racism in nursing, check out and share the following resources:
Know Your History
- Nursing CLIO to engage with historians and scholars committed to deep work around historical accuracy in healthcare and nursing.
- American Association for the History of Nursing to attend monthly webinars on topics of nursing history, view the calendar here.
Examine Bias
- NurseManifest to attend live zoom sessions with fellow nurses on nursing’s overdue reckoning on racism or to sign their pledge.
- Breaking Bias in Healthcare, an online course created by scientist Anu Gupta, to learn how bias is related to our brain’s neurobiology and can be mitigated with mindfulness.
- Revolutionary Love Learning Hub provides free tools for learners and educators to use love as fuel towards ourselves, our opponents, and to others so that we can embody a world where we see no strangers.
Support & Advocate
- National Coalition for Ethnic Minority Nurse Association to stay engaged with topics relevant to nurses of color.
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