ELMER H. BLACK

      Elmer Harold Black, 64, of Ponemah, Minnesota died Wednesday, January 12, 2005 at the Merit Care Hospital at Fargo, Minnesota.

       Arrangements are with Cease Family Funeral Home of Blackduck

       Traditional Indian services will be held at 2:00 P.M. Sunday, January 16, 2005 at the Ponemah Community Center in Ponemah, Minnesota with Spiritual Leader Thomas Stillday, Jr. officiating. A wake will begin on Friday Afternoon at the Ponemah Community Center and will continue until the services. Burial will be at the Family Burial Grounds in Ponemah, Minnesota.

       Honorary pallbearers will be Larry Roy, Virgil Brown, Mike Pierre, Rusty Smith, Robert Perkins, and Wesley Cloud Sr.

       Active pallbearers will be Derrick Spears, Preston Spears, Robert Fineday, Phillip Fineday Jr, Delvin Cloud, Darrell Crowe, Dan Crowe and Alternates Dempsey Greenleaf, Fred Jones Jr, and Ole Spears

       He was born on August 15, 1940 at Red Lake, Minnesota the son of Harold Downwind and Lillian Black. He attended schools in Ponemah and Red Lake. He worked at Red Lake Casino from 1990-2005. He also worked at Marvin Windows in Warroad and worked as a logger for many years. He enjoyed attending Pow-wows, gambling, hunting, fishing, and spending time with his family and friends.

       He is survived by his foster mother, Helma Cloud; special friend, Doris Strong of Ponemah; daughter, Hester Greenleaf of Bemidji; step sons, Derrick (Christen) Spears of Ponemah and Preston (Janet) Spears of Ponemah; an aunt Mary Cloud of Ponemah; six grand children; and several other relatives.

       He was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents, a son, Harold Brian Crowe, a brother, Charles Fisherman, and an aunt, Alice Fineday.