Honoring Her Life: Jessie Charmayne Valandra-Young

Her Legacy: The Seeds She Planted

There are mothers whose love fills a home,
and there are mothers whose love becomes a legacy.

Our mother, Jessie Charmayne Valandra-Young,
walked this earth as a strong Lakota winyan –
a woman of courage, dignity, and quiet power.

She carried herself with a grace that turned heads,
with the elegance of Jackie Kennedy,
yet her beauty was not only in appearance.
It lived in the way she spoke,
the way she stood for what was right,
and the way she loved her children fiercely.

There was a refinement in her presence –
a calm strength, a quiet confidence –
that made others feel both protected and respected.
She taught us that dignity is not something worn
only in public moments,
but something lived every day in the choices we make
and the way we treat one another.

She carried the teachings of those before her
as a daughter and granddaughter,
and she passed them to us not only in words,
but through the way she lived.

She protected those she loved.
She stood with strength when storms came.
She nurtured each of her children
to grow into our own character and truth.

Her love was deep –
beyond the measure of this world.

The quiet moments when she sat with each of us alone.                                                           

Those moments were not small.
They were deep.

It was there she placed her treasures –
gently, quietly –
within our hearts.

She taught us to rise.
She taught us to face truth with courage.
She taught us that strength is not the absence of struggle,
but the willingness to stand back up again and again.

Even now, in moments of kindness and protection,
like myself, I’m sure my siblings sometimes see her reflection
in the love of another we are blessed to call “mom.”

The strength she placed within us continues to live.
Her teachings remain in our hands,
in our voices,
and in the lives we are building for those who come after us.

Her life planted the seeds.
Through In His Spirit, Inc., those seeds now grow into opportunities for Indigenous students, families, and survivors to rise, heal, and live boldly in purpose daily and strive their destinies, too.

Mom,
we love you, we miss you, and we honor you.
And we carry you with us always.

© 2026 Heather Hibbeler. Lakota author. All Rights Reserved.