Former CD, chapter prez remembered for community service

Chinle seems a little colder recently, and not just because temperatures are dropping. A beloved local character has vacated his honorary seat in the chapter house, for good.

On Nov. 19, 92-year-old William Tsosie left a meeting where he was helping to mediate a local issue, collapsed and could not be revived.

"He died doing what he loved to do," pronounced his son, Larry Tsosie.

The former council delegate, chapter president and chapter vice-president never missed a chapter meeting, and he didn't miss November's, which was scheduled for Nov. 22. It was canceled in his honor.

More than 300 people crammed Our Lady of Fatima Church for Tsosie's funeral, one of the largest Chinle funerals in recent memory. According to Larry Tsosie, the family meeting before the funeral was almost equally packed.

"People I didn't even know got up and spoke about my dad, things he did for them," he recalled.

Tsosie was born in the area known as Coyote Springs on July 24, 1917.

He dressed in breechcloths and buckskin leggings until, to hear him tell it, a BIA agent yanked him off his horse one day, cut off his tsííyeel and dragged him to school.

He had been known as Daghaa Tsosie Biyé (Son of Skinny Mustache), but from that day forward he was christened William Tsosie.

He was born into the Táchii'nii (Red Running into Water) clan for the 'áshiihí (Salt) clan, but his mother's ancestors were actually Zunis who had been adopted into the Navajo clan.

"Every time we would drive out by Zuni, he would point out the window and say, 'Your relations,'" Larry Tsosie recalled. "I think he wanted us to feel connected to everybody, not just Navajos."

After completing elementary school in Chinle, William Tsosie went on to Fort Wingate High School, where he excelled in sports in spite of his small stature. He competed on the school's basketball, baseball and boxing teams, and continued to play basketball with local adult leagues well into his 30s.

"He only stood about 5-foot-5, but he was a powerful man," Larry Tsosie said. "I remember as a kid watching him sling a huge stack of firewood over his shoulder."

After graduating, William Tsosie worked briefly as a lineman until he was drafted into the Army in much the same way he was introduced to boarding school.

"He said he was working on a power line one day when a truck with a star on it pulled up. Someone said, 'Who's William Tsosie?' He said, 'That's me,' and they said, 'Get in,'" Larry Tsosie said.

William Tsosie ended up in Normandy for the D-Day invasion, was wounded and earned a Purple Heart.

After returning from his military tour, Tsosie decided it was time to get married. He picked out a wife from among the local girls, had his sister pay for her, and was married the traditional way.

"It seems strange to us now, but it must have worked, because they were together for 56 years," Larry Tsosie said.

Eleanor Tsosie, 73, survives her husband along with their children, Lenora, Larry, Harry, Henry, William Jr., Ruby, Michael and Gary Tsosie. Tsosie also leaves 21 grandchildren and 12 great-children.

"He was a wonderful father," Larry Tsosie said. "He never raised his voice to us."

Tsosie represented Chinle on the Navajo Nation Council from 1981-1985, afterward serving consecutive terms as chapter president and vice president.

He was an advocate of rural families, and got many utility lines extended into remote areas of the chapter. He's also responsible for securing the funding for the present Chinle Chapter house.

In addition to his political involvements, Tsosie worked as a Navajo Nation Police officer and later a substance abuse counselor.

He was a friend of former Chairman Peter MacDonald Sr., and frequently called on him to discuss political issues.

But mostly, William Tsosie will be remembered in these parts for his cheerful disposition and the wisdom he was always willing to share.

"Right up to the end of his life, he was a person people called upon for advice or to settle disputes," Larry Tsosie said. "He was always willing to listen to people. He loved trying to help people solve problems."

And so he did, right up until his last day on earth.

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