Geneva Navarro

Geneva Woomavoyah Navarro, 99, passed away peacefully at home on December 11th, 2025. She was born in the mid 1920’s in Apache Oklahoma to Esther Tuinupu and Max Woomavoyah. She was preceded in death by her parents and brothers and sister Jake (Jackie) Galindo, Melva Anquoe, and Edward Lynn Brace. Geneva is survived by one son Anthony (Tony) Navarro and wife Risa of Missoula Montana, three daughters Debra Wasapappy of Lawton Oklahoma, Teresa Gomez of Albuquerque New Mexico, and Jan Woomavoyah of the home in Albuquerque New Mexico plus many beloved brothers and sisters/cousins, nieces, nephews, Kaku’s, Tsaa’s, and three Tami’s (little brothers, Great-great grandsons).

Geneva Woomavoyah Navarro was a descendant of Chief Wild Horse-Kobe (pronounced Ko-bey) who was a prisoner of war at Ft. Sill in the late 1800’s. She is a member of the Comanche Nation coming from the Kwaharu Band (Antelope) and the Penanuu Band (meaning: sting like a wasp and take off according to her Toko).

At age 5 she became her grandparent’s interpreter since neither of them spoke English. Geneva started public school in Apache, Oklahoma at age 7 and would later go to boarding school at Ft. Sill Indian school. After the ninth grade she returned home to Apache to public school because her grandmother became ill and died from tuberculosis. She was sent her to Haskell Institute, which at the time was still a boarding vocational school to finish her senior year. She chose pre-nursing and was forced to pick a religion. She told them that peyote was her religion but they said she had to choose white man’s religion. She became a lifelong Catholic because she found other religions wouldn’t let their members dance but the Catholics could. She had a love for learning which lasted a lifetime. Geneva loved dancing to all types of music including dancing in the pow-wow arena where she was raised.

In 1946 Geneva attended the Kiowa Indian Hospital Licensed Practical Nurse Training in Lawton Oklahoma. She used her Comanche language as an interpreter to help some patients that did not speak English. She was assigned at Ft. Defiance Arizona with the Indian Health Service. She attended St. Anthony’s in 1951 and graduated after three years as a Registered Nurse. She worked as a Registered Nurse for forty years in public and Indian Health Service doing general nursing duties including medical and surgical care, obstetrics including newborn, pediatric nursing, and intensive care. She retired in 1986 as the Assistant Director of Nursing at the Santa Fe Indian Hospital in New Mexico.

After retirement she traveled extensively throughout the United States and Europe to Medjugorje Bosnia, Germany, London, Lourdes and Paris France, Switzerland, and Spain taking along family members and traveling with friends.

When Geneva moved to New Mexico she became a member of the New Mexico Indian Nurses Association. In 1993 Geneva became a member of the Comanche Language and Cultural Preservation Committee (CLCPC). In 1995 she realized that the Comanche language was dying and stepped into a teaching position where she had voluntarily taught the Comanche language to whoever was interested. In the late 1990’s Geneva helped create the Children’s Pow-wow in Santa Fe New Mexico at the Wheelwright Museum which held an annual dance for years and was involved in the annual Youth Language Fair for the Indigenous Language Institute in Santa Fe. She was a museum docent.

She moved to Oklahoma in the early 2000’s where she helped start the annual Oklahoma Native Youth Language Fair in Norman Oklahoma at the Sam Noble Museum. She attended and completed seminars from a scholarship from the Oklahoma Native Language Association (ONLA) for Linguistics Classes with Northeastern University Native American Studies in Tahlequah Oklahoma receiving college credit and a Native Language certificate of endorsement. She taught at many youth language camps and was awarded a teaching certificate to teach the Comanche language by the Comanche Nation and the CLCPC. She worked for the University of New Mexico and later for Cameron University via the Comanche Nation College teaching the Comanche language. She was invited to join the Healthy Family Committee to teach and pass on the Comanche language to employees and families of the program. Geneva also taught the Comanche Language at several high schools and at the Comanche Nation Preschool in Oklahoma.

In 2003 Geneva was invited to testify at the hearing before the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on S.575, a Bill to amend the Native American Languages Act to provide support of the Native American Language Survival Schools and for other purposes.

Her memberships included being a participate as an observer in the Lodge Pole River Project, sponsored by the National Geographic. She was an active member of the Comanche Nation Elder’s Council. She was the Vice-President in 2004 for the North American Indian Women’s Association. Geneva received an Outstanding American Indian Elders recognition award as an outstanding community tribal member involved in language preservation and culture. She was invited to participate in the Sovereignty Symposium for several years, received the Oklahoma Spirit Award for “Preserving Our Languages, Building Bridges to the Future” at the Oklahoma State Capitol. In 2007 Geneva moved back to New Mexico where she resided with her youngest daughter Jan where she continued to teach the Comanche language. The class was taught virtually over Zoom nationwide when the pandemic started in 2020. She taught the Comanche language for close to 30 years. In 2024 Geneva was honored as the Inaugural National Treasure “In recognition of a life time of achievements in promoting Comanche culture”.

There will be a family visitation at 10 am following a public visitation at 10:30 am with a funeral service at 11:00 am followed by a meal hosted by Perphina Solis and Tee Wauneka and the Three Sister’s Collective on Monday December 22, 2025 at the French Funeral home at 10500 Lomas Blvd NE in Albuquerque New Mexico.

She will be flown to her home state of Oklahoma where the Comanche Nation Funeral home will transport her to the Watchetaker Hall at 584 NW Bingo Rd. at the Comanche Nation Complex in Lawton Oklahoma on Sunday December 28th for a family visitation at 2pm. There will be a public visitation at 2:30 pm. A memorial prayer service will follow at 3 pm with a Rosary and Comanche hymn singing followed by a meal hosted by the CLCPC.

On Monday December 29th there will be a family visitation at 10 am following with a public visitation at 10:30 am with a Catholic mass at 11 am at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church 1101 W Petree Rd. in Anadarko Oklahoma with the interment at the Memory Lane Cemetery. A meal will be hosted by the Lynn and JJ Schonchin family at the St. Patrick’s parish hall following the interment. Food donations are welcome for both services.

Jan, Geneva’s youngest daughter and sole family caregiver would like to thank the staff of High Desert Hospice, especially Nurse Haley and aid Gina. I am very grateful for her caregivers Tiffany Jaramillo and Violetta Miranda.

In lieu of flowers an Honorary or Memorial gift to her favorite charities is suggested:

Comanche Language and Cultural Preservation Committee 1608 NW Euclid Ave Lawton OK 73507 https://givebutter.com/comanche-language-and-culture-preservation-committee

Oklahoma Native Youth Language Fair University of Oklahoma Foundation 100 W. Timberdell Road Norman, OK 73019 Phone: (405)321-1174 Email: donorhelp@oufoundation.org https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1720/21/form.aspx?sid=1720&gid=2&pgid=2826&cid=7723&dids=5031&appealcode=24EHM15ZZZ

(Sisters of Saint Mary) SSM Health St. Anthony Foundation Nursing Scholarships 601 NW 11th St. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73103 https://www.givetossmhealth.org/foundations/oklahoma/ssm-health-st-anthony-foundation/scholarships

Jan Woomavoyah her sole family caregiver of the home would like to thank the staff at the High Desert Hospice and her caregivers, Tiffany Jaramillo and Violeta Miranda for the loving devoted care they gave Geneva.