Thomas Stillday Jr.

Traditional Indian Services will be held at 9:00 A.M. on Saturday, October 18, 2008 at the Ponemah Elementary School in Ponemah , Minnesota with Anna Gibbs officiating.  A wake will begin 7:00 P.M. on Thursday, October 16^th at the Ponemah Elementary School in Ponemah , MN and will continue until the services.  Burial will be in the Family Burial Grounds at Ponemah , MN .

Thomas Stillday, Jr. 74, whose Indian name was Ozaawabiitang, which means Yellow Water, of Ponemah , MN died Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at PHS Indian Hospital in Ponemah , Minnesota

He was born on February 20, 1934 in Ponemah , Minnesota the son of Thomas and Lucy (Johnson) Stillday, Sr. He was raised and educated in Ponemah, graduating from Red Lake High School .  He enlisted in the US Army on January 7, 1954.  He served as a combat engineer during the Korean War, where he and other Anishinaabeg used Ojibwe like the famous Navajo Code Talkers of WWII.  He was honorably discharged with the rank of Corporal, Specialist 4 on December 31, 1961.  He then returned to Ponemah. He studied Elementary Education for a while at the University of Minnesota- Morris . He married Mary Lou Thomas on May 19, 1973.  He worked as a commercial fisherman on Red Lake , and in logging and road maintenance.  He worked as a home school coordinator at the Ponemah School for many years.  He was one of Red Lake ’s chief spiritual leaders and advisers. As a prominent spiritual leader he taught Midewiwin (Me-DAY-win), or the Heart Way of Life.  He had been a leader among his people, pushing for a return to the Red Lake Nation’s traditional and spiritual roots.  He has brought alive the Ojibwe culture for a generation of young American Indians, hoping they can understand and carry on the traditions of their forbearers.  He had always remained active in Red Lake Tribal Affairs and was incredibly caring and giving to his community.  He was the Ponemah District Representative to the Red Lake Tribal Council from 1988 to 1996. He had been a Red Lake Fisheries board member for 17 years.  He served on the Red Lake School District #38 School Board from 1997 to 2000.  He was serving as president of the board of directors for the Jourdain-Perpich Extended Care Facility in Red Lake from 2002 to the present.  He was an advisor to the Minnesota Historical Society from 1990 to the present.  He served on the Anishinaabe Legal Services board of directors in Cass Lake from 1996 to the present.  He was an Elder Indian Advisor for the Department of Medicine and Social Work at the University of Minnesota , Duluth .  He was an Anishinaabe committee member of the Diabetes State Program at the White Earth Reservation.  He was serving as a board member for the Healing Pathway Program in Red Lake , the Red Lake Tribal Enrollment Committee, the Red Lake Tribal Credit Committee, the Red Lake Homeless Shelter, and the Juvenile Detention Center in Red Lake . He had been a foster grandparent at the Ponemah School . As an Ojibwe whose roots were steeped in the old ways of religion and language, in 1997 he was the first person outside the Judeo-Christian tradition to serve as chaplain in the Minnesota State Legislature.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Lou Stillday of Ponemah, Minnesota; 3 sons, Robert Natewa, Jr., Thomas E. Stillday, and Dexter (Pam) Stillday, all of Ponemah; 3 daughters, Elaine (Eric) Armstrong, Karen Natewa, and Valerie Stillday, all of Ponemah; 1 brother, Wilbur (Patsy) Stillday of Redby; 10 grandchildren; 2 great grandchildren; and numerous nephews and nieces who called him Grandpa.

He was preceded in death by his parents Thomas and Lucy; 5 brothers, Bruce Stillday, Percy Stillday, Warren Stillday, Morris Roy, and George Baptiste; and 5 sisters, Bertha Kingbird, Adella Northbird, Joyce Black, Lillian Greenleaf, and Leona Stillday.

Messages of condolence may be sent to www.ceasefuneralhome.com

Hello Friends:  Our Sister has moved on to the next world.  I will be hosting a
dinner for her this Wednesday at 6:00 pm at my home at 2801 18th Avenue
South.

Her love and dedication to our school children will never be replaced.

We will always remember her love and goods times and the laughter she
brought into our lives.  Christmas will be cherished!

We wish our Sister/Friend/Grandmother the greatest respect on her Journey
home.  We love her, respect her and wish her a safe path to her Family.

Please join us remembering our dear friend Pam Lussier Begay.

With our greatest respects:

Larry Knudsen
2801 18th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55407
612-432-0057

By BEN COHEN, Star Tribune

September 3, 2008

When Steve Blake of Minneapolis was a boy, the artist and future chairman of the Twin Cities chapter of the American Indian Movement would sketch the whirl of activity around the Wounded Knee conflict of the early 1970s.

Blake, who as a teenager designed the American Indian Movement, or AIM, logo widely recognized as the symbol of the movement, died of lung ailments on Wednesday in Minneapolis. He was 51.

Blake, whose father, Francis Blake II, helped establish the AIM, became a teacher in his Ojibwe culture, fluent in the language and a force for justice in Minnesota, said his family and friends.

His mother, Norby Blake of St. Paul, recalled that he sketched the activities of the early AIM leaders in the late 1960s and early 1970s. “He was a curious and very active young man,” she said.

He was a graduate of Heart of the Earth School and South High School in Minneapolis.

As a member of the Minneapolis Police Community Relations Council, he worked to ensure that people receive fair treatment when dealing with the police. Clyde Bellecourt, American Indian activist and co-chairman of the Police Community Relations Council, said Blake had been reviving the AIM street patrols he helped establish in the 1980s.

“If someone needed help day or night, he would respond,” Bellecourt said. “If it was Red Lake or anywhere, he would go.”

In recent years, Blake helped establish AIM chapters at St. Cloud State University, in Red Lake, Minn., and in Fargo, N.D.

He was an accomplished dancer and singer in native ceremonies, participating in powwows around the nation. He crafted ceremonial drums and ceremonial dress.

His “top-notch” paintings were “seen around the world,” Bellecourt said.

Two years ago, Blake underwent a double lung transplant. In April, he struggled anew with illness, but he had bounced back until recent weeks, said his cousin, Minneapolis Police Sgt. Bill Blake, who also serves on the Police Community Relations Council.

“Steve really had a strong passion to help people and reach out to others,” Bill Blake said.

Floyd (Buck) Jourdain, tribal chairman of the Red Lake Ojibwe Nation, said Steve Blake was a leader who would also roll up his sleeves and do the grass-roots work, such as teaching the culture to children in Minnesota and Wisconsin or taking kids to Pipestone, Minn., to teach about its sacred quarry.

“He was articulate and outspoken” but didn’t waste words, Jourdain said. “He backed up his talk with action. He practiced the culture hands-on.”

In addition to his mother, he is survived by his fiancée, Lani Moran of Minneapolis; a brother, Francis III of St. Paul; a sister, Valerie of St. Paul, and nephew Jesse and niece Neegahnee, both of St. Paul.

• Thursday, September 4 – 4 p.m. A Celebration Wake for our departed brother will take place at All Nations Church located at 1515 E. 23^rd Street in South Minneapolis .  If you have images of Steve, or artistic renderings by him that you would like to share as we celebrate his life – please bring them.  (They will be returned to you afterward.)  In lieu of flowers, monetary donations are welcome to help offset service expenses.  For those interested in contributing to food-serving efforts, please call Susan Bellecourt at (612) 735-2607 for more information.
• Friday, September 5 & Saturday, September 6 [Exact time TBD]  Mr. Tommy Stillday will lead Midewiwin services at the Little Rock Community Center located about 5 miles west of Red Lake, MN. (218) 679-3594 or (218) 368-2172 North of Bemidji , follow Highway 89, then go west on Highway 1; see Center on left across from Beaulieu’s Store.
• Saturday, September 6 [Exact time TBD]  The funeral will take place at the Little Rock Community Center west of Red Lake, MN (218) 679-3594 or (218) 368-2172.

William (Bill) Carter
American Indian Community Advocate
City of Minneapolis
Direct: (612) 673-3028
Fax: (612) 673-2599
Strength and answers (to you.)

WAKE
Tuesday, August 19 11AM
Minneapolis American Indian Center
1530 Franklin Avenue
The family asks that visitors please respect Our Ways by attending the wake and services free of drugs and alcohol.

BURIAL
Wastewin’s life and Return to Spirit will be honored on Wednesday, August 20th at the Minneapolis American Indian Center, 1530 Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis. Exact times will be posted soon on this site.

Donations to help defray expenses may be sent to any Bremer Bank in the name of WASTEWIN GONZALEZ MEMORIAL FUND. Thank you.

Remembering Sheila WhiteEagle

Dec. 2, 1948 – June 7, 2008

The Saint Paul Area Council of Churches is mourning the loss of Sheila WhiteEagle, who lost her four-year battle with breast cancer on Saturday, June 7. Sheila was the Director of the Saint Paul Area Council of Churches’ Department of Indian Work program for more than 20 years and worked for the program for 36 years. The funeral will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 12 at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Saint Paul, MN. The DIW office will be closed Monday, June 9 through Thursday, June 12.

Under Sheila’s leadership, DIW has expanded from the Emergency

First Lady Laura Bush poses with Renita Picotte (SPACC) and Sheila WhiteEagle (DIW)

Services food and clothing rooms to include parenting and youth enrichment programs and diabetes education. Other career highlights include:

Began the Elders Transportation program with the American Red Cross

Worked with the community to build an Elders Lodge, now located in Saint Paul

For ten years, worked with the Church World Services CROP Walk event to raise awareness and help with local and global hunger

Worked

with community on 13 annual University of St. Thomas pow wow events

In 1989, Sheila launched the American Indian Parenting Program

In 1992, Sheila began the American Indian Youth Enrichment after-school and summer programs, which last summer was recognized by First Lady Laura Bush

In 1993, Sheila was recognized with the McKnight Award

In

Peace Pole

2001, Sheila led the Family Education Diabetes Program, which has grown to now include education for youth and a partnership with the University of Minnesota

To make a gift to the Saint Paul Area Council of Churches in memory of Sheila WhiteEagle, please click here.

Link to Saint Paul Pioneer Press obituary.

Auntie Pauline, you will be dearly missed. Rest in peace my dear wonderful auntie, we love you, Sharon.

From all the member’s of  MMDC we give the LaClaire family all our love.

Pauline M.  ( Helseth ) LaClaire

LaClaire, Pauline M. (Helseth) Age 84, of Mpls. Survived by husband of 65 years, Russell; children, Bruce, Curt (Sandy), Vicki (Pete) Eckman, Douglas (Kathy), Susan (Charlie) Foty, Renee Foss and Dennis (Karen); also 25 grandchildren and 24 great- grandchildren. Funeral service Tuesday, 1 PM, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 100 Silver Lake Road, New Brighton, with visitation one hour prior to service at church and Monday, 4-8 PM at: Washburn-McReavy Northeast Chapel 612-781-6828 2901 Johnson Street NE, Mpls
Published in the Star