Kathryn M. O'Neal Corpuz

Kathryn O’Neal Corpuz, age 77, passed away with family and friends at her side at the Cottage in the Meadow, Yakima, Washington, on December 4, 2015. Kathryn was born September 3, 1938 at Ft. Washakie, Wyoming, and was an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe. She received her education at St. Stephens Catholic School in Riverton, Wyoming, Middle School in Chadron, Nebraska and completed at Haskell Indian College in Lawrence, Kansas. She graduated with a Technical Degree of Dental Assistant. While at Haskell one of the highlights that she was very proud of and honored to be a classmate of the 10,000 m. Olympic Gold Medalist Billy Mills. Her senior year she was also voted by the Haskell football team to be Homecoming Queen.

Kathy’s first job assignment was for the Indian Public Health Service, located in Toppenish, Washington, and she worked there for approximately eight years and then went to work for a private dentist in Yakima. In 1988 she decided to retire and be a homemaker and take care of the children. Some of her hobbies were sewing, collecting Barbie dolls, chicken and rooster figurines; and she enjoyed listening to country music. She was an avid Seahawks fan who had season tickets and we never missed a game. While she enjoyed another hobby of playing bingo, she was offered a job as a Hostess for the Chehalis Tribe Lucky Eagle Casino charter bus that traveled back and forth from Yakima to Chehalis, which she enjoyed doing for several years. During her younger years she enjoyed helping her older brother Donald on his ranch located in Pavillion, Wyoming, riding horses and herding cattle.

Kathryn is survived by her husband Max Corpuz Jr. of Wapato, WA; son Charles Pimms Jr. of White Swan, WA; daughter Jody (LJ) Fiander of Wapato, WA; son Nicolas T .Corpuz (and Andrea) of Wapato, WA; step-children Barry Corpuz of Toppenish, WA; Sidney Corpuz (and Rico) of Toppenish, WA; Kyle Corpuz of Lapwai, ID; Linnea Corpuz (and Wally) of Wapato, WA; Laura Corpuz LaCour of Lawrence, KS; and Jerod Corpuz of Toppenish, WA; and was the legal guardian of grandson Nicolas Pimms of Wapato, WA; numerous O’Neal family members residing in Wyoming and Washington; and grandchildren Nicolas S. Pimms, Erin Pimms, Dave’y Lumley, Louden Fiander, Whitney Corpuz, Keanan Corpuz, Kayana Corpuz, B.J Corpuz, Ellen Andrews, Naomi Howard, Leif Twinn, Lucinda LaCour, Lonnie LaCour, Stephan Corpuz and Zoe Corpuz. She is also survived by her best friends and obedient protectors “Muffy” - Lhasa Apso/Shih Tzu, “Red” - Chihuahua, and “Oscar” - Miniature Dachshund. She loved her animals dearly. She was from a family of ten siblings, with surviving brother Patrick O’Neal (June) of Ft. Washie, WY and sister Caroline O’Neal Tiger (and Matt) of Okeechobee, FL. She was preceded in death by her daughter Lisa R. Pimms, son David P. Pimms, father Patrick O’Neal Sr., mother Caroline Friday O’Neal, and eight of her brothers and sisters.

Kathryn will be taken to the family home and visitation will be 5:00 - 8:00 pm, on Wednesday, December 9, 2015. Funeral Services will be held at the Wapato Longhouse on Thursday, December 10, 2015. Washat Services will start at 9:00 am, followed by burial at Reservation Community Memorial Park on West Wapato Road. Dinner and fellowship will follow the burial also at the Wapato Longhouse.

The family would like to thank the very helpful staff at Cottage in the Meadow for their care of Kathryn.

Arrangements are entrusted to Merritt Funeral Home.