Deaths

• Michelle Archibeque
• Vera Notah
• Norma Naktewah
• Mary Teller

Michelle Archibeque

GRANTS — Graveside Services for Michelle Archibeque, 40, will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011, at the Grants Memorial Park.

Archibeque died Sept. 20, 2011, in Grants. She was born Jan. 21, 1971, in Oakdale, Calif.

Archibeque lived in Grants for 31 years. She was a devoted aunt to Olivia and Selina Rodriguez and older sister to Regina Dukart and David Archibeque Jr.; a daughter and home caretaker to her mom Dorothy Archibeque and her dad David Archibeque Sr.

She is preceded in death by her maternal grandparents Joe C. and Cecelia Chavez; paternal grandparents John and Gertrude Sawtell.
Pallbearers will be David Archibeque, Olivia Rodriguez, Caroline Ramirez, Theodore Chavez, David Chavez and William Murray.

Compassion Mortuary is in charge of arrangements

Vera Notah

THOREAU — Funeral services for Vera Mae Notah, 44, will be at 10 a.m Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011, at the Thoreau Church of God. The Rev. Glenn Marshall will officiate. Burial will be in Thoreau Community Cemetery.

Notah died Sept. 9, 2011, in Albuquerque. She was born Jan. 7, 1967, in Fort Defiance, Ariz., into the Towering House People Clan for the Edge Water People Clan.

Notah graduated from Thoreau High School in 1985 and received a Certificate in Cosmetology and Barbering from the University of New Mexico in Gallup in 2008. She entered the U.S. Army in 1988, completed Basic Combat Training at Fort Dix, N.J., and was stationed in Frankfurt, Germany. In 1990, she was involved with desert storm. Notah was honorably discharged in 1991. She was employed with Gallup Mobile Homes, Pilot Travel Center, Cibola County Detention Center and the Department of Corrections in Crownpoint as a correctional officer. Her hobbies included being outdoors, riding her four wheeler, boating, gardening and spending time with her family and friends.

Survivors include her sons Anthony Hella, of Calumet, Mich., and Isaiah Mihelich, of Pine Haven; daughters Bethany Mihelich, of Pine Haven; mother Dorothy Harry, of Thoreau, and stepfather Roy Billy, of Thoreau; brothers Marshall Notah, of Logan, Utah; sisters Priscilla Notah, of Logan, Utah, Lorraine Notah, of Thoreau, Clara Notah, of Thoreau, Marlina King, of Twin Lakes, Harriett Harry, of Thoreau, and Bonnie Harry, of Thoreau. She was preceded in death by her father Howard Notah and brother Harry Notah Jr.
Pallbearers will be Anthony Hella, Marshall Notah, Leslie Notah, Myron Benally, Travis Notah and Daniel McWhorter.

The family will receive relatives and friends at Thoreau Chapter House.

Cope Memorial Chaptel is in charge of arrangements.

Norma Naktewah

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Funeral services for Norma Mary Naktewah, 86, will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011, in the Green Country Funeral Home Chapel. Interment will be held in the Panteah Cemetery on the Zuni Reservation in Zuni.

Naktewah died Sept. 21, 2011, in Tahlequah, Okla. She was born March 2, 1925, in Zuni.
Naktewah and her husband, Walter Naktewah, were married October 5, 1946, and raised their five children in New Mexico.

Naktewah attended high school at Albuquerque Indian School from 1938 until 1943. She attended the Nursing Training Program in Lawton, Okla., in 1943 through 1944 at the height of World War II. She became one of the first American Indians and the first one of her tribe to become a Licensed Practical Nurse and was a nurse for the U.S. Public Health Service, Indian Health Service for 41 years.

Naktewah moved to Tahlequah, Okla., in 1997. She enjoyed traveling, going to powwows and attending conferences with Della and Lura Whiteshirt. She had a warm personality, keen sense of humor and loved to make people laugh with her stories. She enjoyed playing cards and Scrabble and also liked embroidery and made many gifts of her handwork for friends and family.
Naktewah practiced her faith at the Native American Church.

One of Naktewah’s last requests was to extend her gratitude to the medical staff at W.W. Hastings Hospital for the exceptionally good care that she received as a patient.

Survivors include her children Mark, Cathy, Scott, Idella, and Ernest, of Zuni; Idella Naktewa, of Tahlequah, Okla.; Ernest Naktewa, of Zuni, Lura Whiteshirt, of Tahlequah, Okla.; a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and many friends.

Mary Teller

CHINLE — Funeral services for Mary D. Teller, 90, will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011, at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Chinle, Ariz. The Rev. Blane Grein will officiate. Burial will be at the family cemetery in Del Muerto, Ariz.
Teller died Sept. 20, 2011, in Farmington. She was born July 20, 1921, in Del Muerto, Ariz., into the Salt People Clan for the Water Flows Together People Clan.

Teller went to school at St. Micheals School. She was employed with Chinle Border School and was a homemaker. Teller liked to read, sew and was a good gardener with a “green thumb.”

Survivors include her sons Gilbert Teller and Paul Teller; daughters Bessie, Pauline, Mary Rose, Betty Rose and Rose Mary; brothers Nelson Draper Sr. and Teddy Draper Sr.; 30 grandchildren, 48 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents Etsitty and Margaret Draper and husband Juan Teller.
Pallbearers wil be family members.

The family will receive relatives and friends at the Teller Residence in Del Muerto, Ariz.

Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements