Delberta Seminole Eagleman, Hetohke’e, Star Woman, and Woman who first to the battle to find the fallen, 75, a beloved matriarch, and advocate, began her journey to the spirit world on Sunday January 19, 2025 surrounded by the love of her family. Born to Fannie Burgess and Delbert Seminole Sr. May 18,1949. Delberta’s life was one of resilience, strength, and unwavering commitment to her family and community.
Delberta survived the Native American boarding school system, attending school at St. Labre Indian School. Attended college at Fort Peck Tribal College and Eastern Montana College where she earned a degree and graduate school in Arizona. She taught special ed for a while and was a social worker for the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and then for the BIA in Lame Deer. Delberta’s strength and determination guided her through many challenges.
Her early life Delberta was an avid horsewoman and skilled hunter. Her stories of riding with her brother Jelly and hunting for her mom Fannie gave her great joy to share. Delberta had a deep connection to the land and the traditional ways and ceremony of her Cheyenne heritage. Delberta’s prayer life was deeply shaped by the journeys she shared with her father to ceremonies across the land. As a young girl, she would sit quietly beside him, observing the reverence and care he carried into each gathering. Those travels became a sacred classroom, where she learned the songs, prayers, and stories that connected her to the wisdom of her ancestors.
Each ceremony brought her closer to the rhythms of the earth and the teachings of her people. Her father’s steadfast guidance and devotion planted the seeds of a profound spiritual practice that would grow throughout her life. Delberta’s prayers were not merely words but acts of connection—woven with the same care and intention she saw in her father and her mother.
Her strength and wisdom were matched by her adventurous spirit. From being a contestant in the 1967 Miss Indian America pageant in Sheridan Wyoming to traveling the world. Delberta immersed herself in diverse cultures and advocated for causes close to her heart, including youth empowerment, cultural preservation, and raising awareness about the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives.
Delberta was married to Melvin Eagleman Sr. and together they had three daughters: Clarice, Melberta, and Delvene, whose lives she nurtured with her fierce love and guidance. She adopted Vern Eagleman Jr., and later Faith Eagleman Birdtail and David Mathison.
She played a pivotal role in the upbringing of her grandchildren who all hold a special place in her heart and her great-grandson, Reese, was a joy in her life these last few years.
Delberta was a passionate organizer who united grandmothers against violence. She rallied grandmothers in Lame Deer, Montana, where she lived before moving to Wolf Point. Wearing traditional beadwork and scarves as their ancestors did, the grandmothers marched twice through town to support one another and raise awareness about the devastating impacts of drug abuse and violence on the reservation. Delberta often spoke of her dream to bring this movement to the Fort Peck Reservation, determined to stand against the scourge of drugs and violence that touched her own children and that have left so many young in our communities parentless. Delberta’s strength and love was evident in the way she raised her grandchildren, stepping into the role of caregiver when addiction and violence touched the lives of those around her. With an open heart and unwavering dedication, she strived to provide a stable and nurturing home, ensuring her grandchildren felt safe, loved.
Her days were filled with quiet sacrifices, her evenings with tender prayers. Delberta prayed not only for the children in her care but for the healing of her entire family. She carried the weight of addiction and violence in her community with grace, choosing to respond with compassion and steadfast faith.
Delberta believed deeply in the possibility of change and the power of prayer to transform lives. She hoped her efforts to raise her grandchildren with love and resilience would inspire her family to break free from cycles of pain and rediscover the strength in their culture, traditions, and shared humanity.
Delberta’s legacy is one of love, resilience, and devotion—to her family, her community, and the causes she championed. She will be deeply missed but forever remembered by those whose lives she touched. Before she passed, she gifted her name Hetohke’e, Star Woman, to her beloved niece, Prairie Rose Seminole, daughter of Delbert Seminole Jr. to carry on.
Greeting Delberta in the ancestors camp are her parents Fannie and Delbert Sr., her husband Melvin, her brothers and sisters: Marie Delores Seminole Poitra, Eva Mae Seminole, Linda Brady, Lenora Wolfname, Rick Wolfname, Duane Seminole, Mary Ethel Seminole, Joseph Seminole, Clarence Seminole, Delbert Seminole Jr., Howard Seminole, Marvin Cole, Irene Cole, stepson Vern Kenneth Eagleman, nephews, Dale Seminole, Randy Seminole, Daniel Seminole, grandchildren, Jarrod Preston LittleWhiteMan, Joshua American Horse
She is survived by her Daughters Clarice Eagleman, Delvene Marie Eagleman, Melberta Solano (Cresencio), Faith Birdtail, adopted sons John Arnold Eagleman Sr, David Mathison, grandchildren Angel and Shawnee Bellymule, Zackery Kyle AmericanHorse, Jeremy AmericanHorse, Daniel Blackwolf, Mariah Blackwolf, Christian Eagleman, Elijah Eagleman, Spencer LittleWhiteMan, Marissa LittleWhiteMan, Verlin LittleWhiteMan III, Jason Birdtail, Alexander Sky Winter Valenzuela, Great Grandchildren Reese AmericanHorse, Joshua AmericanHorse Jr. Sisters Limana and Johanna RedNeck, Bernice Seminole, Audrey Whiteman, Pauline Boxer, Nieces, Cheyenne Seminole, Prairie Rose Seminole, Dakota Harmon, Tashina Seminole, Merri KillsRee, Eldora Poitra, Diane Poitra, Deb Poitra, Dottie Dickens, Yolanda Seminole, Vanessa Seminole, Elouiez Seminole, Walking Woman Seminole
Nephews, Clarence Seminole Jr. Fred Poitra, Julius Poitra, Ree Seminole, Simoine Seminole, Justin Seminole Sr. and Jules Blackhorse Seminole. Her GrandChildren and Great Grandchildren.
To all our extended family we may have missed, Delberta loved all of you.
Delberta’s greatest wish for her family and community in which she prayed for was her family and community to embrace sobriety and healing, finding strength in our shared culture and connections together. She believed deeply in the power of tradition and community as a foundation for resilience and transformation, and her hope was that each generation would walk a path of wellness, and healing guided by the values of love, respect, and unity.
The family is humbled and wants to extend gratitude to the Yellowstone River Nursing and Rehabilitation and Billings Clinic Hospital staff that attended to and cared for Delberta.
Services to honor Delberta’s life will be held January 24 – 25 in Ashland Montana. A meal and fellowship will follow. In keeping with her spirit, the family asks attendees to bring stories to share of how Delberta enriched their lives.
Service Schedule
Funeral Service
11:00 am
Saturday January 25, 2025
St. Labre Mission
Ashland, Montana 59003
Interment
Following the Funeral Service
Saturday January 25, 2025
St. Labre Cemetery
Ashland, Montana 59003
Service Schedule
Funeral Service
11:00 am
Saturday January 25, 2025
St. Labre Mission
Ashland, Montana 59003
Interment
Following the Funeral Service
Saturday January 25, 2025
St. Labre Cemetery
Ashland, Montana 59003
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Ramey Growing Thunder says
May you fly high, Tunwin (Auntie), and rest in paradise! I love you and will miss you so much! Thank you for being a guiding light, continually supporting our cultural and language endeavors in Fort Peck, and standing up for what we believed in during our travels.