RAPID CITY - A man who drowned while trying to save a 6-year-old boy from an icy South Dakota river was remembered for his kindness and infectious personality.

The Rapid City Journal reports that about 50 people gathered in Rapid City on Friday to remember 28-year-old Lyle Eagle Tail.

Eagle Tail drowned last week after jumping into the Big Sioux River at Falls Park in Sioux Falls after 6-year-old Garrett Martin Wallace either fell into the frothing water or became obscured by the gathering foam. The boy later emerged from the water and was not injured.

The boy's sister, 16-year-old Madison Leigh Wallace, also drowned while attempting to save Garrett.

Eagle Tail was a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, and Friday's services mixed Episcopalian rites with Native American tradition.

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