SHIRLEY WAPSKINEH

Feb 12, 1941 - May 20, 2015 OKLAHOMA CITY Our beautiful Mother, Grammy, Great-Grandmother, Sister, Aunt, Cousin, and wonderful friend, Shirley Fern Wapskineh, passed away May 20, 2015, after a long illness. Shirley was born on February 12, 1941, in Shawnee, OK to parents, Mable and Andrew Wapskineh. She leaves behind her loving family: daughters, Serina Shemayme and Skye Wapskineh; and three sons, Randy, Lamont, and Steve Frazier; her aunt, Stella Petty; eight grandchildren, Seneca and Baby Girl Shemayme, Santee, Kevin, Lamont, Samuel, George, Winter and Sage Frazier; she was also blessed with nine great-grandchildren, Littlebear, Pony Boy, Selene, Karis, Kenji, Hena, Nola, Amaya, and Juan. Shirley was a dedicated public servant, who retired from OKC public schools after 30 years of working in Indian education. She left a permanent impression on the Native American community, establishing herself as President of the Oklahoma Federation of Indian Women for 10 years and was named Indian Woman of the Year in 1992. During her time with the federation, she developed the Miss and Jr. Miss Indian Oklahoma City pageants and reveled in the success of "her girls." She loved to see young Native American girls be recognized. She held them to high standards and put them on a pedestal, where she wanted them to always be. She was also Director of the Miss Red Earth pageant in 1986. Shirley was an integral part of the American Indian Chamber of Commerce, where she was honored with the Volunteer of the Year Award in 2007. She was founder and director of the Changing Winds Cultural Society, a member of the OKC Powwow Club, a committee member of the American Indian Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, where she helped direct the Miss Indian USA pageant. She was also honored with the public service 5 Who Care award given by KOCO TV during a live television broadcast in 1992. Shirley loved to sew and took great pride in beading gold roses for her children's Indian clothes. Shirley was a member of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe and enjoyed a strong connection to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. Her Indian name is "Walacumseh," which means clear water. Shirley loved to say "May you always walk in beauty." We know you are walking in beauty in Heaven. The wake is Tuesday, May 26, 2015, at 7 p.m. at Epworth United Methodist Church, 1901 N. Douglas Ave., OKC. Funeral services will be at Epworth UMC on Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at 2 p.m. with burial to follow at Sunny Lane Cemetery, 4000 S.E. 29th in Del City.