Millicent (Maynahonah) Tapedo

Millicent (Maynahonah) Tapedo was born January 20, 1940 in Lawton, Oklahoma and entered into rest on April 6, 2018 in Lawrence, Kansas. She was born to Oliver Maynahonah and Melinda Klinekole and was raised in the Boone-Apache area. Millicent was an enrolled member of the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma. She was given her Apache tribal name “Gallthday” meaning Belle by the late Alfred Chalepah, Sr.

She married Burgess Tapedo on October 13, 1969 in Jacksonville, North Carolina. They celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary in 2017.

She attended Chilocco Indian School and was involved in many clubs and activities. Millicent served as Apache Tribal Princess in 1955 and was involved with the American Indian Exposition Princess Sorority. She also served as secretary and treasurer for the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma. Millicent was a lay person for the Oklahoma Indian Methodist Conference and pastored the Sullivan Chapel in Topeka, Kansas. She also attended the Lawrence Indian United Methodist Church in Lawrence, Kansas. She retired from Haskell Indian Nations University as a recreation assistant and enjoyed spending time with her family especially her grandchildren.

Millicent was an avid KU Jayhawk men’s basketball fan and enjoyed watching her grandchildren dance at powwows. In her earlier years she was active in sports, a baton twirler and loved to dance. As she moved into her later years she kept busy doing word searches, watching western movies and shopping and eating out. She was known as “Mrs. T” to many people in the Haskell and Lawrence community. Millicent was a giving and caring person and had many adopted children and grandchildren at Haskell and in the communities she lived.

She was preceded in death by her parents Oliver Maynahonah and Melinda Klinekole, her son Lance Cully, sister Anita Blackbear and adopted parents Fred and Fern Littlecalf.

She is survived by her husband Burgess Tapedo of Lawrence, Kansas, daughters Freda Gipp and Darryl Monteau, sons Rex Cully, Drake Cully, Brady Tapedo and Dean Tapedo all of Lawrence, Kansas and Mike Lewis of Anchorage, Alaska, and brother Louis Maynahonah, Carnegie, Oklahoma. She has 17 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. Her adopted children are Sydney Toppah, Sr, Jeremy Shield, Manny King, Sean Daley, Angela Barnett, Susan Robinson, Sonya Nevaquaya, and Alicia Josh Foreman.

Pallbearers are Frederick Gipp, Chybon Cully, Kert Cully, Albert Gipp, Maurice Monteau, Joe Bointy, Sydney Toppah, Sr. and Louis Maynahonah, Jr. Honorary pall bearers are Kuthohe Tapedo, Dream Tapedo, Jude Harris, Milo Scotten, Darrell “Sonny’ Blackbear, Tommy Tofpi, Jeremy Shield, Jamie Morrison, and Burgess Navarro

A visitation will be held at the Warren-McElwain Mortuary in Lawrence, Kansas on April 8, 2018 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The wake service will be held at the Ray and Martha’s Funeral Home in Carnegie, Oklahoma on April 10, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. with the Reverend Julienne Judd 0fficiating. The funeral service will be held at the Botone Memorial Church in Carnegie, Oklahoma on April 11, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. with the Reverend Monroe Tsatoke officiating. She will be interred at the Tanedoah Family Cemetery.