Hi all, Report on my Uncle Jesse James Whitaker's passing. April 4th, 1914-1999 he was my father's, James A. Whitaker, baby brother. My Mother was Purna Mae Brown, wife of James Whitaker daughter of James Lewallen & Martha Coatney. James Lewallen (Chickasaw) was son of John Lewallen & Mary Rainwater. (Martha, daughter of Margaret Smith (Cherokee), and George Washington Coatney) Thursday evening, Mary Harper Bellis, Joe and I went to Willcox to see Uncle. We put goodbye presents in his casket with him. a fishing hat, an insurance ID with his name on it, baking soda for his stomache, a tamatoe off his tamatoe plant in his window, some pictures of him and his golf cart, a little salt because nothing was ever salty enough for him and the stuffed lion that his Niece Alice in Ark. had given him so he wouldn't be alone. We bid him goodbye and a safe journey. Friday, Joe and I drove to Tempe, stopped at the 'our Lady of Guadalupe' church in Guadalupe (Indians call her Tonantzin) then on to the cemetary. Uncle looked pretty good so we had the mortuary people place him in the chapel so if any one wanted to visit him they could. As it turned out, Joe Euni and I were the first ones there. then when everyone came, they gatherd at the graveside, so Fred, Ernie, Bob, Joe, Eddie (Tidey) and my son Kevin went to fetch Uncle for the occasion. Only the male Elders who went to get him visited with him kevin waited and let all the elder nephews go say goodbye to him, then the nephews brought him to his final restng place which was just at the West end of a long rose hedge and very close to Betty Jo Whitaker Tidey. Laura, we missed you. You really did a great job, everything was easy and perfect. thanks. ..It was a good gathering and evryone who chose to do so, spoke as the talking stick was circled clockwise. When everyone was mentioning how Betty brought Uncle to live in Arizona in 1975, it reminded me of what Mary Bellis said to me in Willcox. She said "You loved Uncle so much, how were you lucky enough to have him with you?" I told her I inherited him from my sister Betty. She said "You were lucky, she could've left you an old blouse instead of a wonderful old Uncle" I never thought about it like that before, but shes right. Betty left me wonderful gift. Wonderful adult memories to go with those I had as a child of him. He was always good to me. The services which were run entirely by the family, was a Circle of family who talked about Uncle one at a time. Afterwards, Debbie had a room ready for us at the American legion where we gathered and ate sandwiches and a cake that read "Gone fishin in the Sky" we had agood time yet many had to leave early. Ernie & Carol to the airport to pick up a friend, and Bobby to the hospital as Diane's feet were being corrected with surgery. Euni, we really had the wind on the way home too. We also had rain which I prefer to dust. The Arizona dust storms are a bit scarey. visibility can go to zero very quickly. Uncle's Will, His golf cart and 2 acres of land were his prised his main possesions. > > He gave his cart to me, Rachel Whitaker, his neice, and in a written > statement dated april 23, 1998, > Transcribed and wittnessed by me, he left the two acres to 'the family of > the Golden Hawk' so, we now have two acres in Sunsites when any one > chooses, may come see it or visit on it. he was a kind generous man. his > trailer has deteriated quite a bit and is not really livable. he had rented > it to Wolfsong Ranch "Mary Bellis' for storage for bags of dog feed she > feeds to her 160 live wolves at Wolfsong Ranch. he said it was hers when he > was gone as she had paid rent for two years. > > Mary has many of Betty Whitaker Tidey's ways and mannerism's and I have > adopted her into the Coyote tribe as my sister. Please welcome her, > wolfsong@vtc.net > > She has been an asset to my Life. PS, Mary was adopted out at birth, and at > 50 years of age, she met her blood brother, Mike , for the first time, at my neice's house this past fall. > Dan, does Illegitimi non Carborundum! mean FREE and the WILL to stay that way? <G> Really enjoyed your note. Love you all, This is a new beginning. Singing Coyote