- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
UPDATED: January 29, 2020
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — The Navajo Nation is mourning the passing of Sophie Yazzie, the longest-living veteran in the state of Arizona and a tribal citizen of the Navajo Nation. Yazzie passed away on Saturday in Tucson. She was 105.
On Tuesday, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer issued a proclamation in honor and remembrance of Sophie Yazzie, the longest-living veteran in the state of Arizona who passed on Jan. 25 at the age of 105. The proclamation orders all flags on the Navajo Nation to be flown at half-staff in honor and memory of Sophie Yazzie on Jan. 29, 2020. CLICK to read the proclamation.
“On behalf of the Navajo people, we offer our thoughts and prayers for the family of the late Sophie Yazzie, a matriarch for her family and a warrior for our Navajo people who served our country with great honor and dignity. To her family, we pray for comfort during this difficult time,” said Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez.
A youthful Sophie Yazzie in uniform during her term of service in the
Women’s Army Corps in World War II. Photo courtesy of the Navajo Nation
Yazzie was born in 1914 in Canyon de Chelly, Ariz. At the age of 28, she enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and served during World War II until she was honorably discharged. Following her military service, Yazzie returned home and worked at Wingate Boarding School while raising her four children with her husband before retiring.
In addition to her four children, she and husband, Jordan B. Yazzie, had five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
The funeral service for Sophie Yazzie is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Michael Catholic Mission Church in St. Michaels, Ariz. The burial will be at Fort Defiance Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Fort Defiance, Ariz. following the funeral service.
More Stories Like This
House Passes Bipartisan Debt Ceiling Deal; How Native American Members of Congress VotedHistory Made as First Navajo Appointed U.S. Federal Judge in California
California Bill Aims to Increase State Funding for Tribal Housing
Navajo Nation Leaders Recognized the Fallen on Memorial Day
This Day in History — May 28, 1830, Andrew Jackson Signs Indian Removal Act
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.
