Lucinda Ann Dahlberg Kuchera born as Mary Lou Dahlberg to Carl O. Dahlberg Jr and Lucille Alexander Dahlberg on October 17, 1942. She was a war baby born on the Fond du Lac Reservation in Cloquet, Minnesota. Her father was a Chippewa Indian who was in the Army and her white mother worked as a chef. She lived with the aunties on the reservation for her first few years. They called her Mary Lou; Mary after her grandmother (Grandfather was Joseph) and Lou after her mother Lucille who was called Lou. They were some of the first in their family to be given “white man names” with the Catholic Church. Her mother Lucille died at the young age of 38. So rather than having Mary Lou put into a “special school” her grandparents, Todd and Ann Alexander saw to it and helped Lucille’s sister Josephine Alexander and husband Donald Hales adopt Mary Lou. This is when she changed to Lucinda Ann Hales. Lucinda after her mother and Ann after her grandmother. Donald and Josephine also had JoAnne and Fredrick. Her cousins became her sister JoAnn and brother Fred. They all lived in Nebraska and then moved to Colorado, where they lived in Denver and Aurora. She enjoyed being dropped off at the Indian Community Center so she could be with her people as her heart ached for her other family, aunties, father and memories of the drums.
Those childhood days she loved following Freddy around. They were always off to the horse stables so they could ride; always with her best friend Mary Ann.
She had the prettiest red hair. Her nick name was Rusty. She was and has always been Fred’s sweet heart. Her older sister JoAnne finally married her sweetheart Gale Swope and then Fred & Rusty married. Lucinda was a teenage bride at the age of 19 when she married Rodger Lee Crow. Their son was born in June of 1963. She was a telephone operator and Rodger was a wheat farmer. Her sister’s family was living in Arizona, along with their parents Donald and Josephine. Donald became ill and passed away. Josephine moved in to help take care of little Rodger. The marriage dissolved and Lucinda was able to explore her free spirit with other likeminded people. Wearing hip hugger bell bottoms, no shoes and bleach blonde hair. They were called hippies back in the sixties. She then married Stanley Ricketts. Stanley was a locksmith and together they also reposed cars. To this union three children were born Tanya Jo, Thomas Stanley and Robert Van. Her mother Josephine became ill and passed away. The marriage to Stanley dissolved. She later married Robert Kuchera and moved the three younger children up into the mountains of Colorado; leaving Rodger with JoAnne. He later joined them for his senior year of high school. She lived in Steamboat Springs for many years. She worked for a 5 star hotel as a lobby attendant. Then moved to Colorado Springs and worked for Focus of the Family Church. She moved back to Denver with Gale and JoAnne. Then over to Aurora with Rodger followed by Robert and Tommy. Her favorite things were going to the Indian POW WOW’S every year. Making things for the POW WOW. Enjoyed camping, fishing, reading (all kinds of books) watching movies day and night with popcorn and ice cream. The last four years of her life she lived with Tanya Jo in Montana. On the edge of the Bakken oil fields. Where she didn’t have to worry about money (or the lack of it) She was treated with kindness, love and respect.
In October of 2016 Lucinda and Tanya completed a “Bucket List” road trip back to the Fond du Lac reservation in Minnesota. Finally being able to see the land she had inherited. Meeting her “people” that she so badly wanted to know. The Great Spirit saw to it that she was there for a grand drum ceremony. One of her oldest memories had come to full circle. Hearing the drums and feeling the drums. She was very proud of her heritage.
Many names was: daughter-sister-friend-neighbor-classmate-sweeheart-horsewoman-many a club member-wife-mother; Mary Lou Dahlberg Alexander, Lucinda Ann Hales, Cyndi Crow, Cindy Ricketts, Lucinda Kuchera or Mom.
Lucinda is survived by her children: Rodger (Sherry) and children, Shaundra, Shara, and Jonathan, grandchildren Carrie and Jacob; Tanya Jo (Kevin) children Wesley Ryan, Melanie Ann Marie and Eugene Thomas, Nichole and Andrew, and grandchildren, Allison, Lillian Mae, Reia Katherine; her son Thomas (Tammy) and their son Anthony, her son Robert (DeAnne) and their children Christine, Mario, Nicloe, Marie, Nikolas, even Adel.