Longtime Oglala Sioux Tribe council member Marlin Westin dies at 45

By Ryan Woodard
Rapid City Journal

Marlin G. Westin, a longtime Oglala Sioux Tribal Council member, died Monday.

Westin, 45, died at his home in Porcupine.

Westin was a dedicated council representative, OST President John Yellow Bird Steele said.

“(He had a) very sharp mind. (He was) very dedicated,” Steele said. “He used to sit late into the evening at tribal council meetings. He stuck it out all the way, even though he was in that wheelchair. (The tribe) lost a good man.”

Westin became a quadriplegic when he was injured in a car accident years ago, Steele said.

Westin served several terms for the OST, Steele said, and last served from 2002 until 2004.

As a representative, he was known for his hands-on approach to helping tribal members, Steele said.

“When a family had a death, or something like that, he was always there to help them get the arrangements made,” he said.

Westin would help families in a variety of ways, Steele said.

“If they needed food or they needed the house fixed, he was able to get it done,” he said.

Westin will be greatly missed by tribal members, he said.

“There’s going to be a lot of people grieving, feeling the loss of a very fine gentleman,” he said.

Funeral arrangements for Westin are pending.