Annie Iron Bird

Arlene Anne (Clown) Iron Bird “Ista Luta Win” (Red Eye Woman), age 90, of Dupree, passed away Friday, April 24, 2015 at the Sanford Medical Center in Bismarck, ND after a short illness.

Funeral services were held at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, April 30, 2015 at the Multi Purpose Building, Dupree with Mother Margaret Watson presiding. Burial was at 3:00 p.m., Thursday at the Black Hills National Cemetery, Sturgis. Visitation was held from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 29, 2015 at the Multi Purpose Building with a 7:00 p.m. prayer service. A procession formed at 4:00 p.m., Wednesday at the 2 mile east of town.

Annie (as she is known) was born on September 25, 1924 at Cherry Creek, SD to Joseph and Emily (Did Not Go Home) Clown.

Annie attended school at the Thunder Butte Day School, St. Joseph’s Indian School in Chamberlain, SD, and high school at Cheyenne Agency. A source told us that she was a Tap Dancer in school but she never told us. She told me that while at Cheyenne Agency School, they went to school for half of the day and worked half of the day, and that is where she learned to sew.

Annie married Harry Iron Bird on May 24, 1944 in Dupree, SD, and they made their home in Iron Lightning and Thunder Butte before moving to Dupree in 1974. They lived there in their entirety. Harry and Annie had two daughters, Violet “Faye” (Iron Bird) High Elk & Gwendolyn (Iron Bird) Eagle Bear, and they had four sons, Alvin Iron Bird, Baby Boy Iron Bird, Conrad Iron Bird and Wendell Bruce Iron Bird. Harry passed away on November 10, 1985 – they were married for 41 years.

Annie worked for the Thunder Butte Head Start Program as their very first bus driver in the early 1960s. Thereafter she was a housewife until Harry passed away, and she remained active in the Mary Martha Guild** for the St. Philips Church in Dupree, SD; as a member of this Women’s Church Group she served with Zelda Dog Eagle and her daughters, Minerva Little Elk, Flora Little Wounded, Estherlene Low Dog, Helen Allen, Amy Clown, Lila Hale, Martha Marrowbone, Hannah Marrowbone and Louise Jones. These members are now all deceased.

Annie has a number of friends and lots and lots of relatives; on her mother’s (Unci Emily’s) side the relatives reside in the Cherry Creek and Red Scaffold area, and on her father’s (Joseph’s) side it’s the Fights the Thunder Tiospaye, and it is a very large family who reside in Thunder Butte and Bear Creek area.

Annie loved to sew. She sewed star quilts, crazy quilts, and many relatives would bring their clothes to be sewed or repaired. She did this for many years until she began to lose her sight to cataracts and macular degeneration; she then would sit and listen to her favorite radio station KLND. She would say, “Turn it up; Virgil is on!” She also liked to talk on the phone with her friends, and she had a sharp memory for phone numbers, which was unbelievable.

Annie was very independent to the end. She kept her own bank account, paid her own bills and whatever else she had to do. In looking for documents in her room, we managed to find everything in order. We had no problem finding what we needed. My mother talked about her early years of growing up in Cherry Creek and Red Scaffold. She traveled by team and wagon from Red Scaffold to Thunder Butte, but she never mentioned any hardships in her life. In fact, when we talked she would say I wished things were the same; when things were easy and it didn’t cost that much to live.

Annie is preceded in death by her parents, Joseph & Emily Clown; her husband, Harry Iron Bird; her sons: Alvin, Baby Son, Conrad & Wendell Bruce Iron Bird; her daughter, Gwendolyn Iron Bird Eagle Bear; her brothers:(Mern & Clifford Clown; and her sisters: Elsie Slides Off, Lucille High Elk, Margie Talks & Regina Good Bear; grandchildren: Justin & Chelsey Iron Bird; and great-grandson, Braden High Elk.

Annie is survived by her daughter, Violet “Faye” High Elk; six granddaughters; two grandsons; eight great granddaughters; 11 great grandsons; one brother, (Irvin Clown); and many nieces and nephews……too numerous to mention.

Luce Funeral Chapel of Eagle Butte has been entrusted with Annie’s arrangements.