Obit of Dean, Nora T - Washington County, Oklahoma Submitted by: Jim 05 Nov 2006 Return to Washington County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/washington/washington.html ========================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ========================================================================== ::Delaware Indian Cemetery--Dewey OK Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise December 1, 1984 NORA T. DEAN - Mrs. Nora T. "Touching Leaves" Dean, 77, of 927 Portland, Dewey, died at 7:10 a.m., Thursday (November 30th.) in the Jane Phillips Medical Center. "Touching Leaves Woman," the English translation of the Indian name Nora Thompson Dean,' was born July 3, 1907 to James Henry and Sarah (Wilson) Thompson, in Glen Oak, 10 miles east of Bartlesville in Indian Territory. A full blood member of the Lenape (Delaware) Indian tribe, she attended Midway School from 1912-1921 and was the salutatorian of her graduating class. In 1925 she graduated from Dewey High School and continued her education receiving some nursing training and also several university credits. She married Charley H. Dean on Dec. 11, 1941. Touching Leaves took an active interest in her tribe and taught about the Lenape religious ceremonies, social functions, dances, craftwork, herbal medicines, and language. She was one of the few remaining fluent speakers of Lenape. She supplied information about her tribe to anthropologists, linguist, historians, and an ethnomusicologist. She was also cited for her contributions to several books. In 1967, Touching Leaves founded a mail-order business, Touching Leaves Indian Crafts, through which she sold ceremonial clothing of the Lenape and other items. The business is listed with the Indian Arts and Crafts Board of the U.S. Department of the Interior in the Source Directory: "Native American Owned and Operated Arts and Crafts Businesses." Touching Leaves received several awards for her crafts and in recognition of her work to promote the traditions I ways of the Lenape people. In addition to her craftwork, she worked with students who came to her home to study, lectured at universities, working at museums demonstrating Lenape craftwork, working as a resource person and preparing educational material for sale through her business. She was a member of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Native American Church, the V.F.W. Auxiliary, National Congress of American Indians, Indian Arts and Crafts Board of Washington, D.C. Mrs. Dean is survived by her husband, Charley H. Dean, of the home; one daughter, Louise Dean of the home; one brother, Edward Leonard Thompson, Dewey; a number of nieces and nephews, including James Rementer of the home and James Buffalo of Dewey. Funeral services for Mrs. Dean will be held at 10 a.m. Monday in the Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Dewey with Father John Cefai officiating. Interment will be in the Delaware Indian Cemetery in Dewey, under the direction of Stumpff Funeral Home. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Washington County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/washington/washington.html