Patricia (Patsy) Laudato, 81, of Penrose, Colo., passed away into the hands of her Lord on June 8, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colo., with her husband and daughters by her side. She was preceded in death by her parents, Fremont and Marion Green; her children, Michael Laudato and Laurie Reed; and sister-in-law, Tammy Laudato. She was born to Andrew and Marion (St. Germaine) LaRoque on April 30, 1941, in Wolf Point, Mont. After the Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II, Andrew was taken prisoner and died during the Bataan Death March. Patsy became the daughter of Fremont Green upon his marriage to Marion and later became a loving, older sister to Eileen, Tommy, Diane and Donna. She was kind, generous and protecting of them. She attended Immaculate Conception Grade School and Wolf Point High School. She met William Kent (Kenny) Laudato who was stationed at Glasgow Air Base and they were married on Aug. 1, 1960, at Immaculate Conception Church. They were blessed with four children, Debbie, Monica, Laurie and Michael; and her bonus daughter, Margie Messer. Patsy devoted herself to her family, moving and living in several places: Wolf Point, Mont.; Puerto Rico; Great Falls, Mont.; Niskayuna, N.Y.; Bozeman, Mont.; Cañon City, Colo.; and Penrose, Colo. In addition, she spent many summers in Yellowstone National Park. After the death of her daughter Laurie, Patsy and Kenny moved from Bozeman to Belgrade, Mont., to continue the upbringing of Laurie’s children, Kaetlin and Jarhet. They remained in Belgrade until their move to Cañon City, Colo., in August of 2020 and Penrose, Colo., in 2021. Patsy was a stay-at-home wife and mother until she became a bus driver for the Niskayuna school district where she continued to work until the family returned to their Montana roots. Patsy led a very busy life taking care of her family and others. Her faith in God sustained her, especially with the loss of two children, Michael and Laurie. She relied on our Lord during her long and painful battle with rheumatoid arthritis and during the last years of her life. She prayed and read the Bible daily, relying on God for strength. She was an excellent cook, making the most delicious Italian spaghetti sauce, savory dressing, wonderful potato salad and numerous other dishes which she prepared for many family gatherings. She was an exceptional seamstress — sewing, mending and making quilts for her family as well as others. She was a master at putting puzzles together, often adding pieces as she moved about doing other tasks. She created many lovely gifts using her extraordinary embroidery and macrame skills. She loved her family pets, especially her cat, Milo. She really enjoyed her yardwork and all her beautiful flower gardens and was looking forward to creating another beautiful yard at her new home in Penrose. She will be most remembered and missed by family and friends for her great sense of humor and contagious laugh. She is survived by her husband of almost 62 years, Kenny Laudato; daughter Debbie and her husband Will Just of Cañon City, Colo., their two children, Jonathan Rubio (Lakewood, Colo.) and Aaliyah Just (Cañon City, Colo.); daughter Monica and her husband Danny King of Santee, Calif., their two children, Jessica Dorman and husband Jacoby (Santee, Calif.), Rebecca Forrester and husband Stewart (Santee, Calif.); granddaughter Kaetlin Mayange and husband Hassan of Meridian, Idaho; grandson Jarhet Reed of Bozeman, Mont.; daughter Margie Messer of Rexford, N.Y.; sisters, Eileen Karge and husband Carl of Wolf Point, Mont., Diane DeWitt of Wolf Point, Mont., and Donna Marchwick and her husband Tom of Belgrade, Mont.; brother, Tommy Green and wife Denise of Belgrade, Mont.; brother-in-law, Clark Laudato of Sun City, Ariz.; sister-in-law, Sandy Laudato Anderson of Ballston, Spa N.Y.; and five great-grandchildren, Evelyn and Russell Dorman, Amelia Forrester, Zayla and Zahki Mayange; as well as many nieces and nephews. Cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. at Belgrade Christian Assembly in Belgrade, Mont., on Sept. 6, 2022. Interment of ashes will take place at 12 p.m. on Sept. 8, 2022, at Greenwood Cemetery in Wolf Point, Mont. (Paid Obituary)

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.