Johnnie Mae Tall (Rhodd) Bear

Johnnie Mae (Rhodd) Tall Bear, age 87 and a resident of Shawnee, Oklahoma, passed away surrounded by her loving family. A wake service is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Sunday, September 23, 2018 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Konawa, Oklahoma under the direction of Swearingen Funeral Home of Konawa.  Funeral services are scheduled to 10:30 a.m. Monday, September 24th at the church.  Fr. Adrian Vorderlandwehr, O.S.B. will officiate and burial will follow at Sacred Heart Catholic Church Cemetery.  Pallbearers are Mark Noteware, Bert Tall Bear, Alvin Tall Bear, Jr., Mike Tall Bear, John Tall Bear, and Kenneth Grove. Johnnie was born to John Baptist Rhodd and Adeline (Thorpe) Rhodd on November 27, 1930 in Sacred Heart, west of Konawa, Oklahoma.  Her native name is “Wa Tho Ma qwa” which means, “you’re seeing lightening”.  She married Alvin Tall Bear on February 13, 1952 in Bentonville, Arkansas.  She attended Northeastern University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Oklahoma University in Norman, Oklahoma.  She was a Registered Nurse and worked in several cities throughout Oklahoma, and she retired from the Veteran’s Center in Sulphur, Oklahoma.  Johnnie was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and a member of the Thunder Clan of the Sac and Fox Nation. She is survived by four sons, Alvin Tall Bear, Jr. of Shawnee, Oklahoma, Mike Tall Bear of St. Louis, Oklahoma, John Tall Bear of Shawnee, and Robert Tall Bear of St. Louis; three grandchildren, Estee Cerventes, Jennifer Tall Bear, and Robert Tall Bear; nine great grandchildren; and one great-great grandchild. She was preceded in death by her husband, Alvin Tall Bear; parents, John and Adeline Rhodd; one granddaughter, Misty Love; three brothers, Alexander, Samuel, and Frank Rhodd; and six sisters, Edith Nave, Vi Allen, Cleda Curley, Eva Jordan, Hazel Williamson, and Charlotte Alderson. Funeral Information: September 24, 2018, 10:30 AM Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 4 miles west of Konawa under the direction of Swearingen Funeral Home of Konawa (Wake Service at the Church 7:00 p.m. Sunday - Sept. 23rd) located at 200 S. Broadway, Konawa, OK 74849