fbpx
 

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — The Navajo Nation is mourning the loss of Earnest C. Becenti Sr., a local chapter leader who passed away on Sunday, Aug. 16. He was 95.

Yesterday, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer issued a proclamation that calls for flags on the Navajo Nation to be flown at half-staff on Aug. 19 in Becenti’s memory.

“As we mourn the loss of Earnest C. Becenti, Sr., we also honor and remember all his great sacrifices and services he provided for his Navajo people. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and colleagues as they lay him to rest today,” said President Nez.

Becenti served the Navajo Nation in various capacities. After serving in World War II, he returned home where he served as a chapter official for 33 years, as president of the Eastern Navajo Agency Council for 23 years, as a member of the McKinley County School Board for 27 years, and as a commissioner for McKinley County for 16 years,  Becenti also served with the New Mexico Mounted Patrol for 14 years, and was a traditional medicine man for more than 56 years. He retired after 37 years of federal service. 

Becenti was born on March 9, 1925. A community member of Church Rock, N.M., he was married for 69 years to his wife, Mary Becenti, who passed away in 2016. 

He enlisted with the U.S. Army on Aug. 11, 1943, and was honorably discharged on Nov. 28, 1945 with two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star.

The funeral service for Earnest C. Becenti Sr. took place Wednesday at Gallup Veteran Cemetery in Gallup, N.M.

More Stories Like This

Oklahoma Legislature Overrides Governor Stitt’s Veto of Native Regalia Bill
Native Bidaské with Lummi Nation Chairman Anthony Hillaire on the Opioid Crisis
Tohono O’odham Citizen Shot and Killed by U.S. Border Patrol; FBI Investigating
Louisiana Loses a Visionary Native American Leader as Ernest Sickey Walks On at 80
First Lady Jill Biden Highlights Broadband Expansion to Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta

Native News is free to read.

We hope you enjoyed the story you've just read. For the past dozen years, we’ve covered the most important news stories that are usually overlooked by other media. From the protests at Standing Rock and the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM), to the ongoing epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP) and the past-due reckoning related to assimilation, cultural genocide and Indian Boarding Schools.

Our news is free for everyone to read, but it is not free to produce. That’s why we’re asking you to make a donation to help support our efforts. Any contribution — big or small — helps.  Most readers donate between $10 and $25 to help us cover the costs of salaries, travel and maintaining our digital platforms. If you’re in a position to do so, we ask you to consider making a recurring donation of $12 per month to join the Founder's Circle. All donations help us remain a force for change in Indian Country and tell the stories that are so often ignored, erased or overlooked.

Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you. 

About The Author
Native News Online Staff
Author: Native News Online StaffEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at [email protected].