Bert Patrick Eder

1923 - 2024

Bert P. Eder was tragically taken from us too soon, two days after his 100th Birthday. He celebrated with family and friends, enjoying cake and ice cream with his favorite songs performed by Charlie Brandine. If he could have gotten out of his chair, he would have danced. The next day Fr. Navil brought him communion, and the following morning he died peacefully surrounded by his family and dear caregivers. He joined God and his ancestors in a traditional Native way. He will be remembered and celebrated by his descendants and the many people he helped throughout his life.

Bert Patrick Eder was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Dec 16, 1923 to Ray Martin Eder and Minnie Sky Arrow while his parents traveled with a Wild West Show. Bert was one of four brothers: Jimmy, Jack, and Ray K.

When Bert was five years old, his mother died. He and his younger brother, Jack, were put on a train alone to travel from Minneapolis to Wolf Point and the Fort Peck Assiniboine Sioux Reservation. There, their grandmother, Maude Buckles, and her husband raised them (along with 15 other grandchildren). They attended the Fort Peck Agency Boarding School in Poplar and lived on the family farm north of Poplar during school breaks. Because Maude had attended an abusive Indian Boarding School where she was punished for speaking her Native language, she sought to spare her children this pain by NOT teaching them their language. Later, Bert attended Poplar High School. He loved to share his many adventures from this time, including running away by riding the rails and jumping on the ice flows of the Missouri River.

After World War II began, Bert joined the National Guard for 9 months until it was discovered that he was too young and discharged. He subsequently worked for the war effort as a welder in the Navy shipyards at Puget Sound, WA before enlisting (for real) in the Army Air Force in 1943. He served on Tinian in the Mariana Islands building runways (under fire) for the bombers. He shared that the Nola Gay took off from their runway headed for Hiroshima (which later made him sad).

When he returned to the US, he worked at the Great Falls Air Base and was in the National Guard for another 3 years. When he came back to the Reservation, he was surprised to find that he was not allowed to Vote because, as a tribal member, he was not an American Citizen.

He raised wheat on his allotment, worked in the oil field, drove grain trucks all over Montana, and was a Tribal Policeman. He lived life with gusto: riding broncs in Indian rodeos for $1 a ride, learning to fly an airplane, and getting drunk with friends. He married and had nine children (Gregory, Gary, Gloria, Gail, Bert Jr, Sunshine, Georgianna, Glenn, and Galen). When his wife left him with the full care of the children, his Grandma Maude (age 84) moved in to help him.

Bert told all the kids, "The family that prays together, stays together." So every night all the family knelt at the kitchen table and said the rosary. Realizing he had nine kids to care for, he knew it was time to settle down and quit drinking. That's when Alcoholics Anonymous came into his life, and became essential for the next 57 years.

Bert began by trying to help others on the Reservation suffering from alcoholism. He would pick up drunks passed out on the road in the middle of winter and save their lives by taking them to the jail, getting them medical treatment, and calling in other AA friends for an impromptu meeting in the jailhouse. When he finally let them out of jail, he strongly encouraged them to attend AA meetings. He also organized community meetings to address the problems of alcoholism. He married Jo Ann Eder, a VISTA from the East who worked with some of his children. When she completed an MA in cross-cultural education at University of New Mexico, they moved to Lame Deer on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation where they had many friends. Their son Mark was later born at the Crow Agency Hospital. That made 10 kids!

Word of Bert's organizing efforts got out. He was hired to run a program through Rocky Mountain College and the University of Utah to help organize similar efforts on the other Reservations in the BIA Billings Area. The success of that endeavor led to his being tapped to be Chief of the Indian Desk at the newly formed National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, in Washington, D.C.. The NIAAA was staffed by dedicated, innovative professionals from outside the government. In his role, Bert traveled to many Native Communities throughout the US, including Alaska. He and his team were committed to funding anything the local communities thought would help alleviate the destructive force of alcoholism in their communities, including snowmobiles for the Alaskans so they could hunt in winter or a TV and community center for entertainment during the long winter nights. Within a few years, creeping bureaucracy put increasingly more restrictions on the programs and it wasn't satisfying anymore. Bert was the first to resign, followed in time by most of the other "outsiders." He remained a consultant for several more years, managing proposal review and program implementation. Many of the alcoholism treatment centers established on the reservations are still helping with recovery today. When Bert visited his "home" AA group in Wolf Point, he was thrilled to find it thriving with many young Native people in attendance.

Throughout the rest of his life, Bert would go anywhere or do anything to help struggling alcoholics. Besides his faith and his family, Alcoholics Anonymous was the most important part of his life.

But he still had a wild and crazy life: riding motorcycles, flying airplanes, collecting all kinds of cars, and traveling far and wide. He and Jo Ann were drawn to Egypt, Australia, and China to visit their grandchildren. They also lived in Puerto Rico for 10 years while JoAnn was a scientist at the Arecibo Radio Telescope. Wherever he went, Bert always enjoyed meeting new people and hearing their stories.

At the time of his death, Bert was the oldest living member of his tribe. He is preceded in death by his parents, his three brothers, his sister-in-law Catherine Rider Eder, who helped his family in innumerable ways, as well as his three children, Gregory, Gloria, and Georgianna.

Bert is survived by his beloved wife Jo Ann Eder. His seven living children, who brought him much trouble and happiness: Gary Eder, Gail Stafford, Bert Jr (Pat) Eder, Sunshine Prince, Glenn Eder, Galen Eder, and Mark Eder. Bert was especially grateful for the company and care of the partners of his children: Ray Stafford, Suzanne Eder, RJ Slaven, and Kim Eder. His many grandchildren and their families also brought Bert much joy: Adeline, Dustin and Sebastian King; Daniel Wright; Kevin Kirkaldie and family; River Schmidt-Eder; Whitecrow, Raven and Phoenix Tiphareth; Jessica, Ben, Mackenzie and Skyler Dunbar; Nathanael Koch; Tim, James, and Timothy Patton; Magnum and Brenden Eder; and Coral Eder. Numerous nephews and nieces carry on his legacy as well.

The last months of Bert's life were made rich, rewarding and comfortable by visits from his many friends and the exceptional loving care provided by Shilo Moncada, and Yasha and Jody Ackerman and the Beartooth Billings Clinic Hospice team. The family is also grateful to Rubin Ackerman, John Potter, Gerald Sherman, and Jael Kampfe for ensuring that Bert joined his Native ancestors with appropriate ritual.

The memorial service will be held Tuesday, February 6, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Red Lodge. In lieu of flowers, Bert requested that donations be made to St. Agnes Catholic Church, P.O. Box 1067, Red Lodge, MT 59068, or to the Montana Rescue Mission, P.O. Box 3232, Billings, MT 59103. A graveside service and internment of Bert's ashes is expected in summer 2024.