Luke Jorge Massee

Our beautiful 30-year-old son Luke Jorge Massee of Rapid City, passed away on Friday, December 23, 2022.  He was the best son, brother, uncle, grandson, cousin, friend, and dog dad. Luke was born on November 4, 1992, in Bismarck, ND.  

Luke was passionate about many things; cooking (the spicier, the better), hiking, drawing, debating everything from politics to religion, writing songs, skateboarding, playing guitar, creating poetry, and painting.  Luke was a graffiti artist who tagged the inside of his family garage.  A member of the Dahl Fine Art Center was walking by, one day, and invited Luke to paint some doors at the art center after seeing his work. “In a world of prints Luke was a Van Gough.” And tattoos, Luke loved to get inked!  A barcode, watercolor panda, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley’s LOVE and a graffiti piece, that he designed, to name a few.

Luke had an impeccable, inappropriately hilarious sense of humor.  He was always the light of the room and had everyone cracking up with some of the funniest, craziest jokes people ever heard. Luke did not sugarcoat anything. I wonder how many times he heard his mom say, “Luke you cannot say that!”  A long-running family joke was that the Schwan’s guy was Luke’s Dad.  He always loved to tell the story about going up to a random Schwan’s guy, grabbing him and saying, “I love you, Dad!”  Luke and his (real) Dad loved Far Side jokes (enough said!).

Luke loved nature and taking his dog, Marley, for walks.  Hiking in the Black Hills to spots such as Sheridan Lake (for cliff jumping), the Washouts, Little Falls and the Rock Maze with friends was special to him.  They only made a few people cry by taking them off trails!  He could start his own rock maze by the sheer number of rocks that he has collected. 

Luke was a genuine bad ass, through and through.  Luke was also a lover.  He was protective of the ones he loved.  He gave the best hugs.  Family was so important to him, and he was so proud to be Isaac and Kora’s Uncle.  He always gave Isaac tips such as “don’t punch with your thumb tucked inside” and “always know your surroundings.”  Kora giggled with delight when he tossed her up into the air.  Luke and Kaley had a special connection, and he was her superhero more than once.  Luke and Tanner loved skateboarding and snowboarding together; they pulled all-nighters playing video games. Claude will cherish the many times that they played guitar together and the hour-long phone calls that covered every topic imaginable.   Luke was always up for burgers and beers with Mom and tried his best to teach her how to play pool. In his younger years, Luke spent many hours fishing and boating with grandparents, Uncle Jason, and cousins.

Claude and Karen picked Luke up this summer, and they all enjoyed a trip to Jeff & Porschae Brown’s wedding in Colorado.  Luke was genuinely happy and honored to be Jeff’s groomsman.  The road trip and the Denver Aquarium were icing on the cake. 

Old friends are the best friends.  Zack Guerue and Luke spent many hours skatin’ up Hot Springs and Rapid City.  They were the underdogs who had each other’s backs and who also shared a love of music and guitar playing. Luke and Jeff Brown had a band, 7 Foot Dart Fetcher, where they played some local gigs and spent hours skateboarding, hiking, and solving world problems.

Motorcycle riding through the Black Hills was always much more fun when Luke was the leader. He begrudgingly honked his horn, per mom’s request, when going through tunnels.  Luke was the current President of UMF, a motorcycle club.  He was always up for a ride and enjoyed going on a few runs with his biker brothers. 

Luke served his country by being a wildland firefighter one season that took him from South Dakota to California to Arizona to Montana. He was so proud of this and worked very hard to accomplish it.  Even though he loved firefighting, extended times away from home was intolerable.  He was always humbled by the generosity of people that he met along the way.

Luke’s family is forever grateful to Tamara Klein, Zack Guerue, and Kara Schumaker who spent final hours with him as Mother Nature prevented his parents from getting to him.  Luke was treated with dignity and respect by all the staff at Monument Health Rapid City Hospital.

We will miss our “Luke T Duke” so much and will cherish our memories.  We know that he is our very best Angel.  Son, we love you today, tomorrow, and always.   Luke is survived by his parents Claude and Karen Massee, brother Tanner Massee (Jetaime Aul), sister Kaley Massee, nephew Isaac Massee, niece Kora Massee, grandmother Kay Stevenson, step-grandmother Barbara Kraft, Uncles Jason Kraft, Mike Massee, Jerry Massee, Aunts Cody Kraft, Lynda Anderson, Gail Vanderplaats, many cousins, and his beloved dog Marley.  He was preceded in death by grandfather Richard (Dick) Kraft, grandmother Shirley Massee, grandfather George Massee, ‘Grandma Great’ Karen Stevenson and ‘Grandma Kraft’ Elizabeth Kraft.  

Services are pending for June 24, 2023, near Keystone, SD with an interment of ashes at the Kraft Family Cemetery in Carson, ND on June 25.

Friends and family may sign the online guest register and leave written condolences at www.WestRiverFuneral.com.

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