POPLAR – Arlene Faye (Youngman) Peterson, 74, of Poplar, a former special education teacher, died of complications of diabetes Thursday at the Poplar Community Hospital.
A Rosary is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Poplar, followed by 11 a.m. funeral services at the church Wednesday, with internment at Poplar City Cemetery.
She carried her mother’s Indian name, Medicine Hand Woman, was an enrolled member of the Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes and was a direct descendant of His Many Roads, Crazy Bull and Chief Medicine Bear.
Faye was born in Poplar on April 17, 1936, to Lewis Youngman and Mary Eagleman Youngman. As a young girl she attended school in Poplar. When her dad was hospitalized at the Walla Walla, Wa., Veteran’s Hospital, her mother went to work in the Portland, Ore. shipyards during World War II. During that time Faye resided at St. Thomas Home in Great Falls before eventually returning to her parents in Oregon.
After the war, the family lived in Portland and then in Parkdale, Ore., where her parents managed a farm and apple orchard for several years before moving back to Poplar in 1954.
Faye graduated from Poplar High School in 1955. She attended the College of Great Falls after high school and worked as a personal assistant and driver for Sister Provedencia. She enjoyed working with sister on several projects and Faye was recognized for her work on Hill 57 by Sen. Mike Mansfield.
Faye eventually moved back to Poplar where she met and married Helmer (Fats) Peterson in 1959. She worked as an assistant with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Fort Peck Tribes before eventually taking a job as a teacher’s aide in the Poplar schools.
Faye and Fats made their home in Poplar and had three sons and three daughters.
With her three daughters in tow, Faye returned to the College of Great Falls in 1979 to pursue her goal of becoming a teacher. She was one of the first participants in the Montana Indian Teacher Training program and graduated from the college in 1982.
Faye returned home and accepted a job as a special education teacher in the Poplar school district. She also worked as a kindergarten teacher. She retired in 2001 due to medical reasons.
Throughout her life, Faye was involved with American Legion Post #54 Women’s Auxiliary, Iron Ring Celebration Committee, St. Kateri Circle, Cum Christo, the Dakota Elders, and other local groups.
She enjoyed reading, writing, making Native jewelry for family and friends, going to powwows, and attending her children and grandchildren’s activities and sporting events. She was a member of Our Lady of Lourdes parish and was involved in several local sundances. Faye enjoyed traveling and loved spontaneous trips throughout her life. During her last year of life, Faye didn’t let her illness hold her back as she traveled to Minneapolis, Portland, the Black Hills, Idaho, Glacier National Park and many points in between.
She is survived by two sons, Richard of Poplar and Louis (Wendy) of Valier; two daughters, Lucille (Richard) Holen and Lesley (Donny) Moran of Poplar; three sisters, Velma Keever and Myrna Charbonneau of Poplar and Jan (Jim) Spencer of Lapwai, Idaho. She is also survived by five grandchildren, James Dean Holen, Jessica and Anthony Peterson, Olivia Faye Moran and Samantha Clark.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Helmer (Fats) Peterson; a son, Guy; and two daughters, Myrle and Janet Rose.
Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel of Wolf Point is in charge of arrangements.