Armando Louis Iron Elk, Jr. 32, of Lake Andes, died Sunday, September 6, 2026 at the Methodist Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska. Funeral services were Saturday, September 12 at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Marty. Burial was at St. Paul’s Catholic Cemetery in Marty. Peters Funeral Home in Wagner was in charge of arrangements.

Armando Louis Iron Elk, Jr. “Mando,” was born on September 17, 1993, at 12:01 a.m. in Yankton to Yvonne Rainbow and Armando Iron Elk, Sr. His maternal grandparents are Henry Irving, Sr. and Margaret Cuny Janis- Rainbow, and his paternal grandparents are Ethel Iron Elk and Virgil Stricker, great-great-great-grandson of Chief Smutty Bear, also known as Mato Sabi Ceya.

Armando attended Andes Central before later attending Marty Indian School, where he graduated in 2012. He was an A student and the Valedictorian of his class. Junior loved playing basketball and football, throwing darts, and playing games on his PlayStation. He was known for his friendly personality, his ability to make friends wherever he went, and for being able to strike up a conversation with anyone he met.

He leaves to mourn his parents; his sisters: Amanda, Audra, and Audrey; his brothers: Arian and Bryce; his daughters: Armahni and Atahni; his companion, Victoria Cournoyer; his stepson, Lyric; and the newest addition to the family, Larencia.