Nellie Sings In The Mountains

Nellie Sings In The Mountains, born on April 27, 1934, in Dunmore, MT to Paul Singer and Lillian Bullshows Hogan, went home to her Lord and Savior on December 18, 2024, at the age of 90.

Nellie was raised on the Crow Reservation by her mother, stepfather George Hogan, and her grandparents Bullshows and Little Horse. Her Crow name was Baaehkaalaache (“Knowing”), she was a Big Lodge and child of the Piegan clan. When she was younger, she helped take care of the foster children her mother took in.

Nellie and her sisters, Mary Elizabeth and Mardell, left Crow in 1964 to Butte, where she took care of her niece and nephew, Meredith and Barry. After Butte Nellie and Mary travelled to San Fransisco, CA where Nellie enrolled in Madame Sallengers, there she learned how to be a very talented seamstress. While living in San Fransisco she met her husband Roy Pettey Sr. They had their daughter Merrie Lillian Pettey and when they were expecting their son Barry Bryan Pettey, Sr., they left California for Montana.

Nellie started working for Crow Tribe CHR, Community Health Representative, and was placed in many different areas in the Crow Community. Whether it was adjusting glasses or handing out OTC drugs in Crow and later fluoridating children’s teeth at the WIC office. She worked as a CHR for 43 years.

She was always busy beading, sewing, cooking or helping with her grandchildren. In her free time you could find her in her room in front her sewing machine making different things like handgame shirts and dresses, powwow regalia, and many other things people went to her for.

Her parents, her siblings; Rose Marie, Lewis, Samuel Plainfeather, Lorena Mae Walks Over Ice, Ola Takes Enemy, Ambrose Dawes, Mary Elizabeth Wallace, her daughter Merrie Pettey, her husband, her nieces; Sandy Walks Over Ice, Brenda Fighter, Faye Dean Singer, her nephews; Curtis Singer and Carson Walks Over Ice, Albert Bullhorse and Daniel Takes Enemy and many other family and friends preceded her in death.

She is survived by her son Barry (Stephanie) Pettey, Sr. and Wesley Toineeta who she renamed Ezra, her siblings Mardell Plainfeather and Adam (Bernice) Singer, her granddaughters; Alannah (Jamaal) Hampton, Aprille (Tyrel), Ambrosia and Constynse Pettey, Camy Old Chief, and Cherrish Realbird, her grandsons; Skyler Anderson, Barry “B.B.” (Angel) Pettey, Jr., Tom Pettey, Cal Walks Over Ice, Colton Herrera, Conklin Big Lake, Kendall Old Horn and Dean Bullshows, her great grandchildren; Leo, Jeremiah, Aubrey Pettey, Lailah, Tyger, Charlie and Tyler Ten Bear, La’Jayah, Romel, Aurora and Marcellus “Wolfy” Hampton, Maybelle Pettey, her nieces; Nellie Bad Bear, Lorena Plainfeather, Meredith Toineeta, Tina and Karen (Tim) Takes Enemy, Bobbi Sox Walks Over Ice, Lorene (Myron) Crooked Arm, Mona Singer, Iva Bullshows, and her nephews; Barry Hogan, Louis Walks Over Ice, Laramie Plainfeather, Allert (Dorma) Takes Enemy, Sr., Carson Singer, Frank (Camie) Knows His Gun.

Nellie is also survived by extended family members from the Wagons, Isis, Phillips, Hogan, Bullshows, Plainfeather, Red Star, White Hip, Crow, Walks Over Ice, Whiteman Runs Him, Singers, and Russel families.

If we have forgotten any names in our time of grief, we apologize, our family is large.

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