Funeral services for Jola Fay LeBeau, 72, will be held at 12:00 p.m., Noon, on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at the LeBeau residence, 208 Ethete Road with a wake to follow throughout the evening. Sunrise services will begin at 6:00 a.m., Wednesday, May 7, 2025 also at the LeBeau residence.
Mrs. Jola LeBeau passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 1, 2025, surrounded by her family at the Help for Health Hospice Home in Riverton, Wyoming.
Jola was born on January 8, 1953, to Earl P. and Dorothy A. (Denver) LeBeau.
In 1970, she married Antone “Dokes” DeCola, and together they had two daughters, Shawna and Brandy DeCola. She later married Meldon Hill and welcomed her third daughter, Kammi Hill.
Jola spent her early years in Fort Washakie, Wyoming, and Fort Duchesne, Utah, attending school in both communities. She later earned her GED and went on to receive an Associate’s Degree in Business Management.
She lived in Idaho for a time with her children before returning to the Wind River Indian Reservation, where she made her permanent home.
Jola had a diverse and impactful career. She was a talented hairdresser and worked for Sho-ban News and Wind River News. She served on both the Credit Committee and the Recreation Committee for the Eastern Shoshone Tribe. She was instrumental in helping establish the first cultural center on the reservation. Jola also worked at the Wyoming State Training School and owned the first video rental store on the Wind River Reservation, Hot Springs Video. She was a landlord, a guest artist at Colter Bay, and a firefighter for the Sho-Rap Fire Department during the 1988 Yellowstone fire.
Jola was deeply connected to her culture and community. She loved spending time with her family and enjoyed hunting, camping, fishing, beadwork, gardening, shopping, traveling, and swimming. She was passionate about attending traditional ceremonies across the country and in Mexico, and she found joy in dancing, singing, joking, and playing baseball.
She was a proud member of the Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, a tribal leader, a warrior woman, and a tireless advocate for Indigenous rights. She stood for her people politically and spiritually, including participation in treaty-related events of the 1863 and 1868 Fort Bridger Treaty. Jola was a Sundancer and lived a life rooted in tradition, culture, and service to others.
Survivors include her daughters, Shawna T. DeCola, Brandy A. DeCola and Kammi M. Hill; adopted son, Guy Nelson; brothers, Wade G. (Tereasa) LeBeau of Boulder Flats and Clinton “Tommy” LeBeau; grandchildren, Alexandria Vallely, Talise DeCola, Ben-Ami DeCola, Jessica Hereford, Antone Hereford, Timber Wolf Davis, Sean Tindore, Jocie Chacon, Hope Scott, Julien Scott, Traesun Hill and Tayliah Mendez; 15 great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her father, Earl P. LeBeau; mother, Ada Dorothy (Denver) Padilla; brother, Bennie Earl LeBeau; sister, Ronda Lee LeBeau; brother, Hildred L. LeBeau; granddaughter, Erica L. Chacon.
Online condolences may be made to Jola’s family at www.TheDavisFuneralHome.com.
Services are under the direction of Davis Funeral Home, Crematory and Monuments of Riverton, Wyoming.