Nina G. Desbien

1944 - 2023

Nina G. Desbien, 78, of Bentonville, Arkansas, died peacefully at home on January 2, 2023 in Bentonville. She was born on January 23,1944 in Newport News, Virginia.

Nina worked for the USPHS/IHS for 35 years in administration and retired in August 2005. She worked in administration in the Oklahoma Area Office and the Holton Service Unit in Holton, KS., serving the local tribes in Northeast Kansas. She then worked for the Cibecue Health Center in Cibecue, AZ for the White Mountain Apache Tribe for 2 years and then transferred to the Southern Colorado Service Unit in Ignacio, Colorado. She was the CEO of the Southern Ute Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe in SW Colorado for 12 years. She was a powerful advocate for Native American healthcare.

Nina enjoyed her family, friends, and traveling. Her hobbies were fixing up houses with her husband, and she had a keen eye for decorating and hunting morels. Her beautiful life will be forever cherished by her husband and family.

She married Kevin Desbien on August 12, 1982 and they were devoted to each other over 40 years, he survives at the home.

Other survivors include sons, Roger Kincaid, Hominy, OK and Pat Kincaid, Sturgis, SD, a sister Melissa Wouk (Wade), Springfield, MO; two brothers-in-law, Evan Desbien (Melissa) Topeka, KS and David Desbien (Brenda), El Paso, TX; many grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was a member of the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribe of Oklahoma. Nina was a strong Native American and proud of her heritage and ancestry. She loved her family, had many friends, and was kind and easy to get along with. She will be deeply missed by all she knew and loved.

She was preceded in death by her father, Robert Gabaldon Sr., mother Grace Connor, brother Robert Gabaldon Jr., her grandmother, Nina Gabaldon and her beloved companion Domino.

Services will be 11:00 a.m. Friday, January 6th at the Chapel Oaks Funeral Home in Holton, KS. Burial will follow in the Holton Cemetery. Nina will lie in state Thursday at the funeral home where visitation will be held from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Memorials are suggested to the American Cancer Society, and may be sent in care of the funeral home, PO Box 1034, Holton, KS 66436. On-line condolences may be made at chapeloaksfuneralhome.com