In this section, we wish to say farewell to our beloved Colville Tribal Members and send our wishes for health, happiness and faith to their families.
We welcome memorials about your loved ones and friends who have passed away, including photographs and poems if you wish. Please send your contributions to: Tribal Tribune Memorials, P.O. Box 150, Nespelem WA 99155 or Email @ editor.tribune@colvilletribes.com. Include your name and address on the photographs, funeral cards or other materials you want returned to you.
The family of Eileen Whalawitsa would like to thank all of you for your love and support during our loss.
To the EMT’s for keeping Eileen in her home for as long as possible. To the staff at the Convalescent Center for their tender love and care. To the doctors and nurses at Coulee Community for making Eileen’s last hours peaceful and pain free. To all of you that sent flowers, cards, phone calls, prayers and songs. To the cooks who worked round the clock, Helen Thomas, Pauline Pakootas, Birdie Thomas, Julia Gendron, Jessica Andrews, Bailey Gendron, Missy Pakootas, Shelia Pakootas and Kelly Thomas, Rose James for the pies and Dorothy Zacherle for the cakes.
To the hunters, Lester Boyd, Darrell Boyd and Milo Pakootas. To the grave diggers, flower girls, Father Jake, Albert Andrews, Mae Davis and Carly Desautel.
Thank you all for your prayers, time and hugs. God bless all of you who were there for Eileen all these years.
If we left anyone out we apologize, just know we will be forever grateful.
Eileen left behind two sons, Edward Whalawitsa and wife Judy of Nespelem and Sonny Whalawitsa and wife Debra of Snoqualmie. The four grandchildren she dearly loved, Jason, Calijah, and special granddaughter Darcy Epperson, Sonya and Issah and five great grandchildren, two sisters, Edie Friedlander and Ellen Attwood, numerous nieces, nephews and cousins and many, many friends.
Special thanks to Del Ostenberg & family.
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Joab Nata-Lha-Jsah Cheer
Born April 5, 1979, passed on January 5, 2006
(Nata-Lha-Jsah in the San Carlos Apache dialect means “All Chiefs Come Together”)
I am taking this opportunity to give thanks to these four hundreds individuals who are friends and family members that came to support my family in behalf of my eldest son, Joab. We appreciate all the thoughtful words and consideration of taking the time to reflect on how my son Joab touches each and everyone’s life. Many of the testimonies about Joab which came from all of his acquaintances who verified that “Joab had accomplished respect, generosity, and sincerity towards his teachers and friends.”
Allowing our tradition belief to be a spiritual one which gave us the opportunity of making Joab’s circle complete. His purpose here was in being the eldest son, brother, grandson, uncle, cousin, nephew, husband and father. In addition being a friend towards many who joined his circle.
His parents are Henry Nasewy Tewa Jr. (San Carlos/Hopi tribe) from Phoenix, Arizona and Sandra Cheer (Colville/Nooksack tribe) of Omak. Grandparents Ray Cheer (Nooksack tribe) and Anita Cheer Grunlose (Colville tribe) of Omak. Henry Nasewy Tewa Sr. (Hopi tribe) and Genivieve DeLaCruz (San Carlos Apache tribe) both from Phoenix, Arizona. Brother Jamerson, sisters Theilyn, Tiffany, and Anita. Wife Sheena and daughter, Ajsia all from Omak, WA.
Joab grew up in Omak, Washington and attended Paschal Sherman Indian School. He received his GED in 1996. He had been accepted to attend this winter quarter of 2006 at a Culinary School in Spokane, Wa. His hobbies were grass dancing, beading, and making pine needle baskets, but most of all he loved cooking family dinners or barbequing.
We are very proud of him and are going to miss him deeply. Right now he had inspired us in a positive way and can not ask any more on how Joab contributed to his friends and family members. Until we meet again (A ho! To all our friends and relatives.”)
Sincerely,
Sandra Cheer and family
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Death of
Richard Mercy, S.J., Co-Director
Father Richard Mercy, S.J., co-founder and co-director of Kateri Northwest Ministry Institute, passed away on Monday, February 6, 2006, at the Jesuit Infirmary at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Cec Sheoships remains co-director of the program with the search for a new co-director underway.
Kateri Northwest Ministry Institute is a lay ministry program for Native Americans. The program takes place once a month from September through May in three locales, with as many as fifty urban and rural Native Catholics gathering in central locations to spend two full days in intensive study. Course work includes scripture study, liturgical music, homiletics, prayer and proclamation of the Word, all of which prepare people to lead Communion Services in the absence of a priest.
Many of the participants are affected by the social problems that face Native Americans throughout North America, including alcoholism, broken homes, and domestic violence. Therefore, the program’s curriculum also includes a wide-range of counseling courses that provide individual and family healing as well as training to provide counseling in their local community.
Kateri is currently offering the program in Billings, Montana; Great Falls, Montana; and LaConnor, Washington. At the end of three years, the participants who fulfill course and attendance requirements receive a certificate of completion from Gonzaga University. This lay ministry certification has been recognized by the bishops of Great Falls-Billings, Helena, Spokane, and Victoria, BC.
Together with Father Tom Colgan, S.J., Father Mercy founded Kateri Northwest Ministry Institute in 1988. Before founding Kateri, Father Mercy worked for twenty years among Native people in DeSmet, Idaho, and Nespelem, Washington. He had a Master’s degree in theology from Santa Clara University and a Master’s degree in English from Gonzaga University. He was also a member of Toastmasters for 18 years. Until the time of his death, Father Mercy was offering scripture, lector, homiletics, social analysis, and public speaking courses for the program.
For more information about Kateri Northwest Ministry, please contact: 509-323-7025 or katerinorthwest@yahoo.com
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Eva Alice Orr
Eva Alice Orr, 95, of Omak, WA, passed away peacefully at Mid Valley Hospital on Wed. Feb. 15th at 11:20 pm. She was born on August 31st, 1911, up on a huckleberry filled hillside near Danville, WA. Although her birth certificate says she is 94 the family has always heard that she feels she was almost one year old when her birth was recorded. She lived her young life with her extended family in the Kelly Hill area. They lived the traditional life and were able to grow or gather most of the food that they needed to live year round.
She married Ike Campbell as a young adult and had four children while with Ike. She had three daughters, Helen, Evelyn, and Bette as well as one son, Bob. Later in life she married Gabe Orr whom she met while working at a CCC camp in Disautel. She had three children with Gabe: Gib Orr who was killed in a car wreck in his teenage years, her son Lionel and her youngest daughter, Glenda. She also was a mother to Lucetta, her husband’s daughter from his first wife.
During the many years she was married to Gabe until his death in 1972, she raised many other children. She was a long time Foster Grandmother, she helped raise some of her siblings children too as a Foster Parent. She loved all children and over the years helped raise many grandchildren and was a mentor to many others. She was a natural teacher and would share her Indian ways to all who were interested. Later in life, she traditionally adopted Ellen Moses as her daughter. Eva knew all about and practiced her Indian culture and traditions. She knew about medicines and foods. She was fluent in her native tongue. She loved to talk “Indian” to anyone who understood and missed that dialogue when she outlived her friends with whom she talked. She loved nature and had an extensive frog collection which she enjoyed. It was a family joke that she would check to see who had the most gas in their gas tank and then jump in with them as she loved to go.
She held many jobs during her lifetime. One of her proudest jobs was as a Dietary Cook at Mid Valley Hospital. She worked there a long time, well into her 70’s. She was a wonderful cook and everyone lined up for her rolls and homemade breads as well as her superb pies!! She could make anything from scratch including all traditional foods which she loved. It was important to her that everyone was fed and she always had food for anyone who happened to stop by to visit.
Eva was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Gabe, her son Gib, many brothers and sisters as well as numerous family members and friends. She is survived by her daughters, Helen Holloman of Omak, Evelyn Lay of Omak, Bette Emerson of Tacoma, Lucetta Desautel of Nespelem, Glenda Nelson of Wenatchee and her adopted daughter, Ellen Moses. She is also survived by her sons Bob Campbell of Disautel and the Slocan Valley, Canada and Lionel Orr of Omak. Eva has a huge family of surviving grandchildren, great-grandchildren and nephews, nieces and family members. She is also survived by one brother, Ambrose Adolph of Disautel.
She will be greatly missed by family and all who knew and loved her. Her memories, teachings, and character will be remembered and fondly passed on.
The family wishes to extend their heartfelt thanks to the Colville Tribes for their wonderful support in helping with her funeral. It is amazing the wonderful support the Tribes offer. We would also like to thank Shanita Ratcliff of Planning Dept. who took extra care and made beautiful Memorial cards and Smoker Marchand who did the most wonderful etching for inside her casket. We also would like to thank the Seven Drum group for coming over to make it all special, Dale Palmanteer for the casket, Sharon Ives and all her team for the wonderful cooking, and the grave diggers (Eva’s grandsons—Jr. Disautel, Vance Campbell, A.J. Abrahamson, Vertis Campbell, Arnold Abrahamson as well as Alfred Carden, Dennis Best, Cecil Carden, and Gabe Seymour who all hand dug the grave in time for the service.) Eva’s daughter Bette Emerson made her beautiful white buckskin dress for her to wear and we would like to thank Teresa Best for making the white moccasins to go with it. We also would like to thank Shirley Charley and team for whipping up 8 ribbon shirts for the pall bearers. A special thank you is needed for Louella Anderson for help in keeping us going and to Elaine Moomaw for the beautiful singing in the church. And the last thank you goes to Father Bob Jones whose calmness was very welcome.
Our Appreciation
In Behalf of the Family of
Pete George, Sr. - Eagle Horse
To each of you that sat beside his bed and held his hand,
prayed, wept, gave water and food, and comforted him.
We thank you first.
Each person that stepped up and handled so many of the decisions
and actions to help make Dad’s homecoming
a beautiful ceremony.
Thank you.
For the prayers and guidance during and after the services and
All our relations, friends, and tribe.
Thank you.
Each of you that stood up and helped us know more about a Father
who had many attributes and friendships.
Thank you.
Every family that brought food, cooked the food, and Karen George
for leading the way.
Thank you.
Each man that carried their Grand Father and Grand Uncle through his last rest
with dignity and honor.
Thank you.
The Colville Convalescent Center for the care and consideration
each had given him this past year and a half.
Thank you.
Seven Drums for your ceremony and songs.
Thank you.
To Father Bob for being patient, kind, and the spiritual direction to
preparing Dad for his maker.
Thank you.
We thank the Creator for direction, peace, and knowledge
Life passes quickly
it is up to us
to choose the path
as we return
To All My Relations
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