On Sunday, January 29 th , our youngest sister, Gretchen Marie Youpee, age 62 passed away at Faith Lutheran Home in Wolf Point. She was born in Vancouver, Washington on March 22, 1954, the ninth child of William (Bill) and Isabel Wienberger Youpee. She grew up and attended school in Portland, Oregon and Poplar. She also attended college at BYU in Provo, Utah and MSU in Bozeman, MT. While at BYU, she was an active member of the Native American Indian Club. Gretchen was a member and baptized into the Church of Latter Day Saints in Poplar; serving a mission with the Northern Indian Mission Youth Group in South Dakota.
She worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Poplar, MT, Aberdeen, SD, and Palm Springs, CA in the Department of Land Operations. While in Palm Springs, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), returning home in 1990.
On November 26, 1975, her special little girl, Anna Marie Blackbird “Anna Banna”, was born. On November 2, 1976, her precious baby boy, David D. Blackbird, Jr. joined Gretchen’s little family until Christmas Eve when he died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Family was everything to her. Her appreciation of her heritage and gifts in life were instilled in her by her parents and grandparents.
Gretchen and Anna lived in the house she had built along the Poplar River. From her mom, Gretchen learned the art of beadwork, which provided her a livelihood throughout her life. The craftsmanship of Gretchen’s work is well known and unique and stood out among the best. Gretchen will be remembered as gentle, loving, compassionate, beautiful, and graceful woman who had a smile for everyone. Because of her illness, she lived at the Faith Lutheran Home for the past 16 years, where she was treated like family and made many friends.
Gretchen was preceded in death by her son, David Jr.; her mom and dad, Bill and Isabel; her brothers, Allen, William Jr., Danny; brother-in-law, Pete Ramsey; her sister, Florence (Red); nephews, Joe Cloudboy, Allen (Junior), Michael George, Skay Sr., William (Billy); niece Tracy; grandsons, Skay Jr., and Armon Boyd; grandparents, Helen and Joe Brushborn, Frank Youpee, and George and Ida Turning Bear Weinberger; uncles and aunts, Elizabeth and Ted Manning, Edith and Andy Signa, Louie and Bernice Youpee, Leroy and Josephine Youpee, Jimmy and Jeanette Youpee, Helen and Douglas RedBird, George Weinberger, Donald and Winona Weinberger, Frank Weinberger, May and Ernie Bighorn Sr.
Gretchen is survived by her daughter, Anna Marie; brothers and sisters, Williamette and Larry Bussard, Helen and George Ricker, Dwight, Josi and Rene, Lori, Cary and Linda, Marvin and Renay; sister-in-law, Bernadine White; adopted brother and sister, Albert “Greek” Culbertson and Joan Broomfield; uncle, Lloyd Youpee; aunts, Loretta Bearcub and Darlene Eagle Youpee; numerous special cousins, nieces, nephews and grandchildren; special friends, Gerald and Lenore Red Elk and family, Goria Diserly, Anna Marie Pipe, Karla Duboise,; cousins, Jewell Youpee Hanna and Patt Iron Cloud Runs Through.
Prayer services will be Sunday evening, February 5 at 7 p.m. with funeral services Monday, February 6 at 11 a.m. both held at the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormon Church) in Poplar. Interment will follow at the Youpee Family Cemetery with a lunch to follow. Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel of Wolf Point has been entrusted with the arrangements.