Sharon (Ross) Templin age 67 of Miami, Okla., formerly of
Springfield, Mo. died in the presence of her family and friends
who cared for her in the final days of her sudden fight with
cancer. She was born on Aug. 29, 1943 in Picher, Okla. the
daughter of George and Dorothy McCoontze Ross.
She is survived by: her children, Wanoka Jenkins, Hiwannah
Brown, Turtle, and Newakis Campbell; her longtime companion,
Leroy Drake; her siblings, Rick Ross, Mickey Ross, Debbie
Garrett, and Larry Ross; grandsons, Justin Jenkins, Skyler
Brown, Nakoah Brown, and Cody Campbell; and her stepchildren,
Darren Templin and Vinnie Templin.
Sharon dedicated her life to her family, her Native American
heritage, and the betterment of the Ottawa and Miami Tribes of
Oklahoma. Most recently, she served as the Chair of the Ottawa
Gaming Commission. Over the years, she worked passionately as
an advocate for her people as the Youth Group Director at the
Southwest Missouri Indian Center in Springfield, Mo.; as the
first cultural liaison between the Miami Tribe and Miami
University in Oxford, Ohio; and with the Quapaw Tribe under the
Indian Child Welfare Act.
She is preceded in death by her
husband William Templin; her parents; daughter Jacquetta Binns;
and granddaughter Jacquetta Dawn Jenkins. Funeral services and
Native American Rites for Sharon Ross Templin will be held at 1
p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010 at the Ottawa Tribal Long House in
Miami, Okla., with Kevin Daws, officiating. She will lie in
state all day Monday at her home in Miami. Pallbearers will be
Justin Jenkins, Skyler Brown, Nakoah Brown, John Kelly, Larry
Ross and Joshua Garrett. Honorary pallbearers will be Cody
Campbell and Joseph Ross. Interment will be held in the Baxter
Springs Cemetery, Baxter Springs, Kan. Funeral arrangements are
under the direction of the Paul Thomas Funeral Home, Miami.
