Clarinda Young Bird, 67, Bismarck, formerly of White Shield died on Saturday in a Bismarck hospital. Wake services were held on Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at 5:00pm at the Ralph Wells Jr. Memorial Complex in White Shield. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, March 30th, 2017 at 11:00am at the Ralph Wells Jr. Memorial Complex in White Shield.

Clarinda was born in Elbowoods on March 8th 1950 to Neola Spotted Horse. She attended school in Elbowoods, White Shield and Fargo ND where she received her General Equivalence Degree, she also pursued her nursing degree in New Town and Grand forks ND.

Her life may have seemed to have been simple but her life was so magnificently spectacular because she was so magnificently spectacular, she has five million different kinds of smiles and her laugh, oh her laugh was felt so deep down in your soul that you just felt loved and cherished.

In 1970 she married the love of her life, you know they didn't pretend to have this perfect relationship of every hour of every day they got angry with each other, they got disappointed with each other and they argued with each other but thru the 48 years that our parents were married and thru the challenges they faced it was their love for each other that kept them from falling apart. When my mom looked at my dad, it always well not always but when she gazed at him you knew and felt the love she carried with herself for her soul mate.

During their 48 years together they raised 4 daughters, but the most unique of these daughters is Storm, my mom called her stormy lee or stormy weather she was my mom's sisters daughter but you wouldn't have guessed that watching them together, especially the day she meet her! When storm was 8 months old as the story is told they got off a train from Alaska and Storm jumped into my mom's arms and never left. There bond was beautiful and Storm was her best friend, her confident and pride and joy. I don't have to say I hope Stomie knows because I know that she knows that the love that they shared can with stand even this biggest heartbreak because they will be together again.

Okay next is the baby Colette Lavern, she was the answer to my mom and dad's prayers. She was doted on and loved beyond measure, she is our "Thumbie!" Lavernie, my mom's favorite nickname for her loved that thumb of hers, actually that thumb and her are still inseparable!! It's just a trait that makes Colette
Colette, a trait my mother loved, but there are just so many more great attributes that this beautiful young woman was given by my mother and father, Colette Lavern will always be there Rose of Sharon. I think the greatest sorrow that falls on Colette is the emptiness her arms will have without her mother to hold, Colette bathed mom, she clipped her toes nails, cleaned her ears, and plucked her whickers under her chin. She read to her. Stayed up watching movies with her late at night. I believe she is loved so much more by every angel in heaven because mom is telling stories of how well she looked after her and loved her.

The end of the daughter chain begins at the beginning I was born on a cold December day to a young women who helped me become strong, resilient, and sometimes compassionate and free spirted. I have so many memories of everything about my momma. Of our arguments, of our bull headed stubborn mother daughter fights. Of our talks and of her laugh, she loved to tease me using her nicknames for me that I didn't like.

Of our happy times, which were many, many, many happy times!!! And sometimes just like millions of daughters in the world during our disagreements I didn't think that she loved me because she didn't agree with me on what I thought was right, or she would tell me why I was wrong but what I failed to realize that a mother never stops loving her child even threw the hard times, thru the stubbornness and hurtful words. I know that I was a big chunk of her heart and I know what that great woman's heart sounded like from the inside, I want to scream into the heavens and tell her thank you!! Not for me choosing you to me my mother but because you asked God to be my mother!! Momma you are the love of my life and for the rest of my life not one day will go by without you in my heart or on my mind.

You might be telling yourself… wait… you said 4 daughters to only tell us about 3. Well… There's a deeply personal story surrounding daughter number 2. A story only my mother can tell. A lot of lies have been told to destroy my family but my mom although very wounded by the ones she loved so freely she still upheld her promise to herself but her sister who broke her heart did not keep her promise. Was daughter #2 loved any less because of that? No. The love my mom had for her is and will be everlasting; a daughter is a daughter either from your body or from another… She never thought she had to explain to a single soul that this daughter is her daughter. The baby girl she rescued from hospital stays and cold floors became a part of her beating heart. Her love for her never once faltered. Never once dimmed. And although the pain she endured on this earth because of one person's selfishness her light always shined through the darkness.

Aside from her daughters anyone who knew my mother knew how much love she held for her 8 grandchildren. Every grandmother Is special and my mom in my option was the Best, when she found out that her first grandchild and the two following her were Navajo, she started reading every book and newspaper on the Navajo people, watching every documentary on TV about the Navajo people just so she could be more " Navajo" then there dad an "actual" Navajo.

Her grandchildren number 4 and 5 were her twins, her Youngbird twins. Again when she was told that there dad was from Canada she started reading and watching everything she could to learn about their Canadian Life style "Eh"? She became fascinated by their queen there food and there different dialects of French that they spoke and even proudly started flying a Canadian flag.

Her grandchild number six, her father was from pine ridge SD… well….crickets chirping, I think by this time this granddaughter she was tired of being a counselor of nations and welcomed her and proceeded to tell her that she got to watch me grow up all over again because she was an exact replica of me when she was born but of course in her great grandmother way she told her but your smarter!!

Grandchild number 7 her father is from home the MHN Nation, so no studying necessary. Grandma loved this beautiful little girl. She loved her smile her wit and she loved her tiny little stature, she loved the way she always had funny comebacks and remarks; just like a conversation that I remember them having when she was sitting on my mom's bed in the nursing home with her big beautiful smile that she has, my mom asked her when you gonna get your teeth fixed? She replied to my mom as she took a bite of a kit Kat bar "I don't know" so grandma said pointing at the kit Kat bar that's why your teeth are like that and granddaughter #7 replied without hesitation and with chocolate dripping from her mouth, "well quit giving them to me then".

Finally we come to granddaughter number 8 another prayer answered, because just as it seemed the mom lost her way, a star came into the storm and Stars momma found her path. My mom was content.

I mentioned in the beginning that my mom and dad was together for 48 years, and I mentioned that's a long time to stand beside someone and although my dad does not stand alone, I know that his pain from the empty chair beside him is unimaginable and utterly heart breaking, his Crinn has left him behind to dance on those golden roads of heaven so I want to ask every brother, sister, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, to pray to keep him strong and faith filled. Because as anyone who has lost a loved one knows that after the funeral is over and her body is put into the ground and everybody goes home, he will face the days ahead without her only his memories to keep him company, and even though he has us, we can't take his broken heart and make it whole again. His soulmate has left his side but dad, she will never leave your heart. Trust in God for strength and he will answer you!

For every heart that hurts or that is broken from the passing of our mother, our grandmother ,our wife ,our sister, our aunt we hope and pray you find comfort in knowing that she no longer is in pain and she is no longer suffering she is with our lord Jesus and she is dancing and she is laughing. And Most of all she has that joy that only comes from being in the presence of the ole mighty God.

Clarinda is survived by her husband, Hans, and their baby Colette Laverne, Mandan, ND, her oldest daughters, Priscilla, New Town, ND, Camille, White Shield, ND, and Storm (Brandon) Cruz, Macon, GA; grandchildren, Chyna Leigh, New Town, ND, Mychel J. (Sally), Bismarck, Chloe Jess, New Town, ND, Twins, Charlotte Dee and Claudia Rae, Prince Albert, Sask., Cora Grace, White Shield, and Star Cruz, Macon, GA; sisters, Sylvia (Bitsy) Spotted Horse, Garrison, ND, Aldina Rush, White Shield, ND, Glenise (Kevin) Bearstail, Garrison, ND, Vonna Duro, Coahcella Valley, CA, Lori (Mike) Hendricks, Mesa, AZ, Doveta (Dane) Cavanaugh, Fort Totten, ND; and her faithful companions, Woof and Wau'shoo.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Neola Spotted Horse Rush, grandmother, Winnie Seminole, brother, Orville Wayne Spotted Horse, and sister, Jillayne Rush, and her loving companions, Buster, Doc, Daisy, Jake, Heidi and Sebastian the Crab.