Sunny Reeves

Carol Dagmar “Sunny” Sundstrom Reeves passed away peacefully at Heritage Place Assisted Living in Rapid City, SD on the morning of June 29, 2026 after a long battle with declining health. She was loved and will be deeply missed by her family and many friends. Sunny was born June 19, 1934 in Waban near Newton just outside of Boston, MA to Charles Alfred Sundstrom Jr and Frances Lucy Carrier. Carol adopted the family nickname of “Sunny” in college which most people now know her. Sunny’s Dad died of a heart attack at home just before her 4th birthday. As a result, her mother moved Sunny and her brother Charles III to stay with Charles Jr’s brother Frank Sundstrom, who was a New Jersey State Representative. After about a year, Sunny and her family moved into a large home in Newton, MA where the family lived for many years and took on long-term boarders. Sunny talks of her adventures playing outside, riding her bicycle and being highly involved in sports.

In High School, she was involved in physical education, Marching Band, Student Council, Basketball, Archery, Golf, Field Hockey, Member of the Spring Musical Candy Commit with other hobbies including horseback riding and swimming and our favorite sport, Riflery. Sunny says she used to carry her 22-gauge rifle to her school in Boston like children today carry their books to school. How times have changed! Mom went onto college at Syracuse University New York and was a member of Kappa Delta. She was introduced by a mutual friend to Leigh Reeves. Sunny graduated from SUNY with a Bachelor of Arts with a minor in Science. She worked at Colgate on fluoride testing as well as MIT testing margarine while Leigh was serving in the U.S. Army in Germany during the Korean War.

After Leigh returned, they were married Dec 06, 1958 in Rochester, NY. Leigh was assigned by the Forest Service to Nemo, SD, then Hill City and then was transferred to Lake George, CO and finally back to Custer, SD where Leigh retired in 1983. Leigh and Sunny bought a ranch in 1972 on Carroll Creek Road where they raised their two wonderful children. While Leigh worked during the day at the Forest Service, Sunny was busy running the ranch including milking cows, riding horses and involved in every craft you can imagine. When Leigh got home, the chores would continue and they’d go hunting or for long hikes in the evening.

Mom was involved in so many organizations over the years, it’s impossible to list them all but a few are 4-H Leader, Boy Scout Leader, Girl Scout Leader, riding one of the Gold Horses in the Annual Gold Discovery Days Pageant in Custer, President of the Home Extension Club, President of the Western Junior Livestock Show Bread Division and President of the South Dakota State Lutheran Women’s Association. Sunny was a Lutheran Confirmation Teacher for 50 years along with her good friend Jane Olsen. She has been a member of the Custer Lutheran Fellowship since 1974. Sunny was a proofreader at the Custer Chronicle for many years. Sunny enjoyed nothing more than the great outdoors in the Black Hills either on horseback or bicycle or walking with her beloved dogs (too many to name over the years but always Beagles, Labs or Border Collies), reading a huge variety of books, a big dish of ice cream, watching the Boston Red Sox, having lunch with her friends in Custer or traveling on cruises to Alaska, Hawaii and Europe with her children. Sunny was fearless and loved to master any activity. As a result, you would be hard pressed to find a girl raised in the society of Boston who came to South Dakota and produced decades of toughness and grit yet still was one of the most kind and generous people you would ever meet.

Sunny and Leigh were married for 62 years when Leigh passed away in April 2020. In 2021, Sunny sold the beloved ranch on Carroll Creek Road and moved to Rapid City to be near family and close to support services. Sunny is survived by their son Kevin (Ted Dumont) of Salt Lake City, UT and daughter Becki Clarke (Scott) of Rapid City, SD along with 4 Grandchildren Megan Reeves, Cassie Lynch, the twins Kendra (Austin) and Ryan as well as 2 Great Granddaughters Grace Elizabeth and Ella James and 2 Great Grandsons Beckham Leigh and Brooks Michael. Sunny was preceded in death by her brother, Charles Sundstrom III as well as her parents, Charles Sundstrom Jr (1938) and Frances Carrier (1982) as well as one niece, Debby. Sunny is also survived by 1 niece, Linda.

A Celebration of Life is scheduled at Custer Lutheran Fellowship in Custer SD on Wednesday, July 15 at Noon. There will be a graveside memorial service (family only) at the ranch on Carroll Creek Road near Custer, SD. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made in ‘Sunny Reeves' name to the Custer Lutheran Fellowship in Custer SD where she was a 50+ Member.