Deanna Marie Youpee, 39, surrendered her life to join Jesus on Aug. 22, 2022. She was born June 1, 1983, to Burma Youpee in Poplar, Mont. Deanna was a firstborn and “sassy like her mama!” As a toddler, she would put her hands on her hips and firmly express her opinion. Deanna attended Poplar Head Start and graduated in 1988. She continued her schooling in Poplar until 1993 when, due to unfortunate circumstances, she was placed in foster care with Randy and Joy White. She lived with them on a ranch near Wolf Point, Mont., and attended school at Frontier School near Wolf Point. Later, she was homeschooled until she was enrolled in Wolf Point High School her sophomore year. She did well the next three years. Deanna was very talented in mathematics. In her senior year, her teacher said she was nearly a genius at mathematic calculations and theory. Deanna attended the Assembly of God Church in Wolf Point with her foster family. She loved worship and the “church family,” participating in youth group, acting in plays and helping with Sunday school. She took piano lessons from Betty Serdahl, who played for the worship team. Deanna played well and joined the worship team as pianist for a time. Throughout, she kept in touch with her birth mom and family. In the spring of 2002, Deanna moved to Poplar and attended Fort Peck Community College. She worked as a bookkeeper for A & S Tribal Industries. She also worked as a receptionist in a transitional living facility. While living in Poplar, she married Matthew Loves Him. They later divorced. In June of 2010, Deanna found a loving partner and husband, Delbert Red Star. They moved from Poplar to Wounded Knee, S.D., and then to Rapid City, S.D. Deanna worked at a senior center as a nurse’s aide. She and Delbert had a son, Wayne Ray Red Star, Dec 23, 2011—a delightful Christmas present! Deanna worked for The Banana Bunch Day Children’s Learning Center for several years and liked working with kids. Deanna enjoyed learning and in 2022 earned a diploma in bookkeeping and an associate degree in accounting from Western Dakota Technical College. When Deanna became ill, Delbert took care of her and her mother helped nurse her through her last days. She is survived by her husband, Delbert Ray Red Star; son, Wayne Ray Red Star; and stepdaughter, Imoni Rae Red Star. Also surviving are her mother, Burma Youpee; sister, Talissa Eder; brothers, Dustin and James Eder; foster parents, Randy and Joy White; as well as special cousin, Henry (Hank) Youpee. She was preceded in death by her grandmother Darlene Youpee. Services will be held 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 26, at the Open Bible Church of Rapid City, 2225 E Saint Patrick St, Rapid City, with burial at Mountain View Cemetery in Rapid City. (Paid Obituary)

Vernita Elaine Bear, 62, of Brockton died Aug. 20, 2022. She was born Feb. 17, 1960, to Josephine Spotted Bird and Earlwin Bear in Poplar. She was raised in Brockton, the sixth child of seven. She attended school from grade school to the 11th grade at the Brockton School. She took care of her oldest sibling, Merlin Yellow Owl, until she started her own family of five children and nine grandchildren. She also has 14 great-grandchildren in South Dakota. She loved spending time with family and friends. She also took in a son, Theo Crow, and a granddaughter, Kiera Bear, that she raised like her own. She loved music, visiting, doing crossword books and lottery tickets. She enjoyed going to church, loved cook outs and especially doing birthday parties for her family. She loved her job as a bartender at Buckhorn Bar. She is survived by five children, Melody, Merlino, Waverly, Wayan and Randen Bear; nine grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her brothers, Merlin Yellow Owl, Gerald Bear Sr., Lyle Bear and Elwayne Rush; sisters, Glenda Crawford, Evelyn “Connie” Bear and Wilma Bear; grandchild, Abrielle Jackson; and great-grandchild, JR Eastman. Funeral services were held Monday, Aug. 29, at the Poplar Cultural Center. Interment followed at Fort Kipp Cemetery. Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel was entrusted with arrangements.

Margaret Mary Leggett, , died Monday, Aug. 15, 2022. She was born May 17, 1943, to James and Vina Rose Brunelle in Poplar. She went to Catholic school and graduated from Wolf Point High School. She married Joe Leggett in Great Falls on Oct. 14, 1961. In the service, they traveled the country and were stationed in Brandywine, Va., and Colorado Springs, Colo. They moved back to Wolf Point to make their home and raise a family in 1971. She worked many jobs, including clerk at Ben Franklin and HiWay Market, waitress at the Wolf Point Cafe, The Husky Cafe and Stockman’s Cafe. For a time, she managed a VHS rental store. She (and Joe) mostly enjoyed selling their produce, baked goods and canned goods at the Wolf Point Farmers Market and at the Poplar Activity Center. She easily built friendships and people loved her homemade goodies. Many of her friends and family repeatedly told her she was underpriced on her goods. She simply (stubbornly) replied that people didn’t have much money and she wouldn’t raise her prices. She would give away anything she had, except treasured pictures. She is survived by her daughter, Thelma of Wolf Point, and her son, Joseph of Great Falls; 15 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, Joseph Merle Leggett; son, Thomas Leggett; stepfather, Louis LaFloe; and sisters, Claudia Creighton and Celina Severson. Mass of Christian Burial was held on Wednesday, Aug. 24, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Inurnment was at Greenwood Cemetery in Wolf Point. Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel has been entrusted with arrangements.

Joel Rae Ferguson, Tasunka Hin Hota Win (Roan Grey Horse Woman), 55, of Poplar died Aug. 15, 2022, at the Poplar Hospital. She was born at Fort Hood, La., on March 15, 1967, to Joseph and Arlene Ferguson. She grew up in Poplar and was a graduate of Poplar High School. She graduated from University of Mary Bismarck and Fort Peck Community College. She held many jobs including Fort Peck Housing, Fort Peck Tribes payroll, Tribal Express, Tande’s and A& S. She also moved to Billings and worked for the Census Bureau, Salvation Army, Transbas and many more that she enjoyed. She also helped open the cold weather shelter this past winter and was happy that she could help her people. She loved spending time with her grandchildren. She spent her last months with her son. She spent her time beading and making dancing outfits for her granddaughters. She loved to bead and sew and always gave things she got done away, hardly ever keeping or making anything for herself. She was always generous and willing to help wherever she could. She loved her Dakota ways and was always ready to go to sweat and was a big supporter of the Three Buffalo Sundance and all her nephews. She was proud to come from the Bad Temper Bear family. She met John House of Crow and enjoyed working with the cattle, going to hand game tournaments and supporting him and the Black Lodge Tigers and her adopted family she gained in Crow. She is survived by her children, Leigh Spotted Bird “Skuya” of Brockton and Grant Ferguson “Sonny” of Poplar; adopted children, Jeffery Flynn, Ashley Weston, Brennon Hajek, Ralph Renz, Robert Ferguson and Miccah Dust; numerous grandchildren; siblings, JD Ferguson of Fargo, N.D., Colleen Ferguson of Poplar, Denise, BJ, Gary, Mike and Felix Kidder, Vermae Smith, Tommy Smith, Duane Smith, Sandra Ownspipe, Stephanie Cloud, Dana Mireau, Amos Cloud Jr, Joseph Cloud, Nina Fetty, Monica Melbourne, Michelle Melbourne, Lorraine Hopkins, Ninette Hamilton, Thomasine Hamilton, Anthony Hamilton, Kelly Ann Grey Bear, Cerise Grey Bear, Mike Olson, Judith Grey Bear, and Jordan Grey Bear, Peggy, JD, Bernice and Cedric Good House Jr. She was preceded in death by her sisters, Lydia Ferguson and Loretta Kidder. Funeral services were held Wednesday, Aug. 24, at 11 a.m. at the Poplar Cultural Center. Interment was at Poplar City Cemetery. Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel has been entrusted with arrangements.

Bonita Lee Miller, 74, daughter of the late Lynn and Thelma Miller, died Aug. 15, 2022, at Saint Peter’s Hospital in Helena. She was the longtime owner/ operator of Miller’s Crossing, which she and her siblings sold in 2014. She was born in Wolf Point Nov. 21, 1947. She attended Wolf Point schools, graduating from Wolf Point High School in 1965. A lover of the outdoors, the smell of hay and manure, the crisp air of a mountain meadow or a gurgling stream, she embraced a longing to commune with her natural surroundings. Until heart issues intervened, there was no adventure she was not willing to try. She loved flowers and doted on her gardens when time and health allowed. She appreciated things from her past and the past. Not really a collector, she surrounded herself with artifacts, paintings, distressed furnishing, and myriad items and curios from Montana’s historic legacy. She inherited the legendary cooking skill of her mother and grandmother. She sewed, as well, and in the past few years was designing and creating personalized quilts for family and friends. She was an avid reader and had an affinity for the stories of people. She is survived by her three children, Liane Taylor of Helena, Rod Taylor of Thornton, Colo., and Deric Miller of Helena; five grandchildren; and brothers, Rich Miller of Terry and Mick Miller of The Colony, Texas. Cremation has taken place. A farewell gathering is planned at a future date at her beloved Sheep Creek in eastern Montana, the place she called “the house at the end of the road.”

Brayden James-Lee Steele, two, of Wolf Point died July 31, 2022, in Wolf Point. He was born May 17, 2020, in Wolf Point to Hailey Steele and Cody Weeks-Combs. He filled his family’s lives with so much love and joy. He was so full of life and absolutely loved playing outside. He would play outside from the time he woke up in the mornings until it was time for him to go to bed. His Grandma Fern and “Dad” TJ would sit outside with him all day long until it was time to go inside — not by choice but because he would make them. Once outside with him, there was no going back inside. Everyone that knew him would get hugs, kisses and fist bumps, high five or just a great big happy “Hi!” He loved playing with his “best friend” Haumni-Waylon Youpee III and cruising with Grandpa TyRay Healy, who introduced him to cruising around at the Bridge Park. He is survived by his “moms,” Hailey, Hannah, Gram Fern, Gram Billie Jo, Gram Frannie, Holly, Vicky and Kristian; dad, TJ Connor; grandparents, Cody White Bear, Jimmy Combs, Chris Neulman and Olyn Payne; and great-grandparents, Lois Weeks and Linda Weeks. The funeral service was held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 10, at the Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel in Wolf Point. Interment was at Chelsea Cemetery. Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel was entrusted with the arrangements.

Gwen Frerich was born in Culbertson, Mont., on March 30, 1932, to 'Nute' and Dora Anklam. She passed away on Aug. 10, 2022, at the age of 90. She was a resident at Morningstar in Billings. Gwen was the oldest of three children and spent her childhood in Culbertson, except for a brief period on the Washington coast, while her dad served in the Army during World War II. Gwen married Dick Frerich on Nov. 7, 1949. They lived in Poplar and raised three girls, along with many bushels of wheat. After a lifetime of hard work and happy memories, Dick and Gwen retired to Billings, determined to never leave Montana. Gwen was a devoted wife, mother and homemaker. She described herself as 'a good cook,' and could make the perfect pie crust. Gwen loved bowling and was a lefty who enjoyed both league and tournament play. One of her favorite bowling memories was volunteering with the Special Olympics. Gwen was also an accomplished quilter, card and cribbage player. Gwen shared her talents with her church. She taught CCD, managed Altar Society meetings and funeral dinners, and served as chair for Our Lady of Lourdes' renowned Harvest Dinner. She and Dick were also active in the Cursillo movement. Gwen’s Catholic faith was her joy and comfort. Gwen was preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Carol Self; and her brother, Edward Anklam. She is reunited with her beloved husband, Dick, who passed away in 2015. Gwen's legacy is her family — daughters and sons-in-law, Ann (Doug Berg) of Billings and Mary Lee (Dale Smith) and Connie (Bryan Schulz) of Farmington, N.M. Gwen left an indelible mark on her five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren by sharing family traditions and creating many happy memories. She was deeply loved and will be greatly missed. A vigil was held at Smith West Funeral Chapel in Billings on Wednesday, Aug. 17, at 7 p.m. and the funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Thomas the Apostle, Billings, on Thursday, Aug. 18, at 10 a.m. Burial at the Poplar Cemetary will be at a later date. (Paid Obituary)

Donna Jean Damon, 80, died Aug. 13, 2022, at Trinity Hospital in Wolf Point. She was born on Feb. 10, 1942, to Frank Laroque and Alvina Brunelle in Poplar. She joined sisters, Betty Mc-Call and Gail Eva; and brother, Raymond “Dicky” McVay. She is survived by the families of sons, Kenny of Poplar, Brett and Richard, both of Wolf Point; and daughters, Laura, Beverly and Kathryn, all of Wolf Point, and Skilene of Belgrade. A viewing will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. with a Rosary service to follow at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 18, at Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 19, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Cremation will follow services. Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel was entrusted with arrangements.