SHARON PATACSIL obituary

ROCKY BOY - Sharon M. (Dusty Bull) Patacsil, whose Indian name was Medicine Rock Woman, 58, an educator of Rocky Boy, died of cancer on Sunday, May 28, 2006, at Benefis Hospital in Great Falls.

A wake service will begin today at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Rocky Boy. Her funeral is 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Mary's Catholic Church with burial at the Patacsil family cemetery.

Sharon was an avid reader. She enjoyed fishing, Native artwork, her collection of road runners and Native dolls, shopping for shoes and coats, movies, basketball games, baby pageants, going to pow-wows, her dogs - Buttons, Pepper, Sparky, Nika, Coco, Casino, Speedy and Benji, and most of all, her grandchildren.

Sharon was born in Browning on Feb. 25, 1948. She graduated from Browning High School in 1966.

In 1968, she married Mario Patacsil, in Havre. Sharon earned her B.A. degree in elementary education at the Northern Montana College in Havre in 1972. She taught school at Head Start in Rocky Boy before moving to Seattle in 1976. While in Seattle, she was the author of “DayBreak Star Preschool Activities” education books, which became the foundation of the Day Break Star Head Start program for United Indians of All Tribes Foundation. She became the executive director of the program, earning national recognition for her educating accomplishments. Sharon also was the director of the Washington state-funded pre-school program, which she directed in conjunction with the Day Break Star Head Start for 20 years. In 1995, Sharon earned her master's degree in education from the University of Washington in Seattle. In 1996, Sharon and Mario moved back to Rocky Boy. Sharon became the special education teacher at Rocky Boy Elementary School, and then was the personnel director at Rocky Boy School. In 2001, Sharon earned an administrative endorsement at Montana State University-Bozeman, and then was principal of Rocky Boy Elementary School. Sharon was a loving and caring person. Sharon was well-respected for her education leadership. She strongly believed in quality education for all children. She was a loving wife for 38 years and a loving mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, great-aunt.

Sharon was preceded in death by her parents, Anthony and Gladys Dusty Bull; brothers, Darrell, Donald, and Bernard; and sister, Ella Mae.

Survivors include her husband, Mario Patacsil, Sr .; sons, Mario (Lucilla) Patacsil Jr. and Shane (Dorrina) Patacsil of Rocky Boy; grandchildren, Shania Isiah, Ariana, Shane Jr., Mario III, and Sharon, all of Rocky Boy; sisters, Anna Lee Pemberton, Gloria Old Person, Yvonne Upham of Browning; brothers, Darryl Anywaush of Granite Falls, Minn., Dennis Anywaush of Minneapolis, Minn., and Harold Dusty Bull of Browning.