In Loving Memory
Wayne William Snellgrove
April 9, 1971 — July 2, 2026
Saulteaux Tribe · Fishing Lake First Nation
Wisdom keeper, fire-keeper, and healer. Marathon swimmer. Carrier of the Seven Grandfather Teachings.
Zoom Graduation & Celebration of Life · Tuesday, July 21, 2026· 7 AM & 7–9 PM PST
You Are Invited
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
We gather on Zoom to honor Standing Bears' passing to the ancestors — to hold the energy of gratitude, to share prayer and song, and to walk forward the path he carried. Two sittings are offered so relatives across the world can join. All are welcome. Come as you are.
Register for either sitting and Zoom will send you your own join link — and the recording afterward, so you can return to it.
A Life Remembered
A memorial to honor the life and teachings of Standing Bears.
Standing Bears
Created by Chief Mel Standing Eagle
From Separation to Ceremony
His Story
Saulteaux Tribe · Fishing Lake First Nation
Wayne William Snellgrove — Standing Bears — passed unexpectedly on July 2, 2026, in Sedona, Arizona, at the age of 55. Born in Saskatchewan, Canada, on April 9, 1971, he was a member of the Saulteaux Tribe and a survivor of the Canadian Sixties Scoop, taken as a child from his family and community and adopted far from the people he was born to.
Water was his first medicine. He joined a swim team at eight and quickly discovered it was his superpower, setting records at every club he belonged to. A 1988 yearbook called him “perhaps the best swimmer the Northeastern Conference has ever seen.” He earned a scholarship to La Salle University, served on and later led a beach patrol in Hollywood, Florida — performing many rescues — and became a two-time National Champion open-water marathon swimmer.
For years he felt disconnected, like he didn't belong. At age 32 he located his birth mother and returned home to his reservation, reuniting with his first family. He took Standing Bears as his name and made Saskatchewan his home. Under the mentorship of elder Grandfather Tony Stonehawk, Wayne became a healer, fire-keeper, advocate for Indigenous rights, and spiritual teacher.
He always sought to help others succeed where he had stumbled, speaking often at prisons and addiction centers. He lived Gloria Steinem's words: “The final stage of healing is using what happens to you to help other people.” Big, funny, soft-spoken, and charming, he was trusted instinctively by animals and small children. He loved chocolate chip cookies and told great stories — a swimmer, lifeguard, and father; a world traveler, musician, artist, podcaster, speaker, and author of four published books.
Wayne passed while in a loving relationship with Zenka Caro. He is survived by his brother Thomas of Wakefield, MA, and his son, Alexander, of Sherbrooke, Quebec. He is also survived by birth family from the Fishing Lake First Nation, including his mother, Nora Smoke; sisters Myria Smoke and Sindel Smith; and brothers Sheldon Smoke and Joe Smoke. He was predeceased by his birth father, Robert Kayseas.
Wayne's funeral will be held in the community of Fishing Lake First Nation, Saskatchewan. Following Indigenous tradition, a Family Feast will take place after the service, and the following day Elders will arrange for a fire to be lit at the burial site every morning for four days.
Read the full obituary, written by Tom Snellgrove, at Ruffner-Wakelin.
The Seven Grandfather Teachings
These Anishinaabe teachings — each carried by an animal — were the way Standing Bears lived. They invite us to bring our beliefs, our words, and our actions into relationship with one another.
We are part of creation, not above creation.
Humility reminds us that no one walks alone and no one holds all the answers. We listen to the Elders, the ancestors, the Earth, the waters, the animals, and one another. We remember that every living being carries something worthy of our attention.
Love is the medicine that connects all life.
Love asks us to care beyond ourselves. It is expressed in how we treat our families, our communities, the Earth, and those who will come after us. Love is not only something we feel. It is something we choose and practice.
Respect is how we recognize the spirit and dignity within all beings.
Respect lives in our words, our listening, our boundaries, and our actions. It asks us to honor what has been entrusted to us and to leave people, places, and relationships with greater dignity than we found them.
Bravery is carrying love into the places where fear has been making the decisions.
Bears are known for their courage and determination, facing challenges with strength and resilience. The Bear inspires us to face our fears, overcome obstacles, and stand for what we believe in — to protect what is sacred and take the next right step even when the path is difficult.
Honesty begins when we stop hiding from ourselves.
Honesty aligns our inner and outer lives. It asks us to speak truthfully, take responsibility for our choices, and become people whose words can be trusted.
Wisdom is knowledge placed in service to life.
Wisdom grows through experience, reflection, mistakes, ceremony, and deep listening. It is not measured only by what we know, but by how we use what we know for the benefit of others.
Truth is all seven teachings walking together.
Truth is not simply something we say. It is something we become. It appears when humility, love, respect, bravery, honesty, and wisdom are woven into the way we live.
“To honor him is not only to remember his words. It is to continue walking the path he carried.”
Download the teachingsHis Words
Standing Bears' writing carries the same medicine as his teaching — daily meditations for healing, return, and walking the Medicine Wheel.
A spiritual prayer book — 366 meditations on Indigenous healing and spirit. He communicated directly with Spirit and interpreted what he heard for the rest of us.
His second collection of daily meditations — another course around the sun, this time walking the Medicine Wheel through its seasons and directions.
“We do what we need to do until we can make a better decision.” Meditations on Spirit, humanity, and walking a sacred path with love, humility and prayer.
His fourth and last book. “In the realm of the Spirit, Life begins when courage takes hold.” A return to the Red Road. Walk softly. Breathe deeply. Come home.
His Music
Native American Flute music album
He was a musician as much as he was a writer. The songs carry the same medicine the words do.
The album, documented
Photo Album
Moments from Standing Bears' life, shared by the people who walked it with him.
We Are the Medicine
49.4K strong
The Circle He Gathered
We Are the Medicine is a Circle Meditation group — an Indigenous-inspired spiritual gathering that welcomes medicine from all directions: love, humility, truth, respect, wisdom, courage, and honesty. Standing Bears was a founding leader of the circle, and it continues to meet in support of his healing mission under the leadership of Jenny Jones.
Join the circle on Facebook
Follow His Path
Where he shared his medicine
Facebook
Wayne Snellgrove
50K followers
Instagram
@standingwayne71
Instagram
@thewaynesmoke
Instagram
@waynewilliamsnellgrove