The world has lost a brilliant light.
Monica McKay (born Monica Lee Siems, Dakota name ?u??idawi?, Fox Woman) journeyed on from us on Tuesday, March 18, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was 54 years old.
Monica was born on July 23, 1970 into a houseful of Siemses that included her parents, William R. (Bill) and Mary Louise (Mary Lou) Siems, and her five siblings, Bill, Larry, Mary Kate, Chris and Ben. She somehow managed to survive that and struck out at 18 to pursue higher education, turning down Harvard twice, first to earn a B.A. in Philosophy at Boston University and then an M.A. in Religious Studies with a focus on Native American religions at the University of California – Santa Barbara. In 1997 she brought her delight in learning and passion for truth and representation home to the University of Minnesota, where for almost three decades she enriched both campus and community life through her work for 21 years with the U’s Center for Community-Engaged Learning, where she connected students, faculty, and community partners for reciprocal learning experiences and led professional development and program evaluation efforts; through her own scholarship and teaching in the Dakota Language Program of the American Indian Studies Department; and through her leadership and participation in the University’s Decolonization Roundtable and other community-engagement programs including the Community Assistantship Program, the Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, and the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture. In all her roles she was a tireless advocate for including education about Minnesota’s Native Communities as a core component of Minnesota history.
It was at the University of Minnesota that Monica met the love of her life, Neil McKay – C?a?temaza. They married on October 13, 2012, and they shared a life that was a daily marriage of minds, interests, ideals, and dreams. They traveled together, explored together, taught together, and relaxed together; they entertained and sustained and supported one another. Side by side, they supported Dakota people in their efforts in language reclamation. Side by side, they spent hours laughing to movies, enjoying and creating music, and walking her beloved Rhodesian Ridgeback, Minnie.
All who knew Monica will say that she walked with compassion and love every day. She had emerald-green eyes that sparkled, and a beautiful smile. She was very, very funny—piercingly, disarmingly funny—and very cool. She was a person of integrity and principle, someone who was on the side of right but never self-righteous. She was humble, authentic, open, honest, and forgiving. She listened—not to offer solutions or counter with stories of her own, but to hear, to understand, and to discover. She thought about things at the highest and deepest level, but she spoke with beautiful simplicity and clarity. She proved every day that the smallest thing can become meaningful if it is approached with the right blend of intentionality, curiosity, silliness, and joy. She was a good relative, an ally in the truest sense, a sister, a partner, and singular friend.
In addition to her husband and five siblings, Bill (Brenda), Larry (Lara), Mary Kate, Chris, and Ben, Monica is survived by her nieces Krista and Katrina, her nephews Nathan, Eli, Ethan, and Nicholas, and her stepsons Daryn and Ian.
Family, friends, and colleagues will gather to celebrate this beautiful person and beautiful life on Sunday, April 6, 2025 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Hollywood Theater, 2815 Johnson Street NE in Minneapolis. All are welcome.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Monica’s honor can be made online to Second Harvest Heartland at https://bit.ly/secondharvest-MM
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