OHN-WAH-SAH

MAYETTA - Orville Rice, Jr., Ohn-Wah-Sah, 87, of Mayetta, died Wednesday, September 16, 2020 at the Colmery-O'Neil VA Hospital in Topeka.

He was born October 18, 1932 at Mayetta, the son of Orville Rice, Sr. and Elsie Wahwassuck Rice. He was blue color and Thunder Clan.

Orville was a member of the Native American Church and We-Ta-Se American Legion Post No. 410 at Mayetta. He loved to ride motorcycles and work on cars until his health declined.

He was a U.S. Army veteran, having served during the Korean Conflict.

In his early years he had worked in construction and manual labor jobs. He retired from Haskell Indian Nations University after thirty years.

He married Betty Mahkuk in 1957. She survives.

Orville was preceded in death by his parents, three sons, Bradley Rice, Cleo Masqua and Kevin Rice, two brothers, Edward Wahweotten and Jeffrey Rice, and six sisters, Lavina Olsen, Sammye Starkey, Sylvia Rice, Inez Dodds, Claudette Masqua and Mary Brown.

Other survivors include two sons, Chris Rice, Nedrow, NY and Calvin Masqua, Lawrence; three daughters, Shirley Rice, Oskaloosa, Sylvia Johnson, Mayetta and Jeanette Little Sun, Hoyt; three brothers, Raymond "Butch" Rice, Topeka, Larry Wahweotten, Augusta and Ronald Wahweotten, Mayetta; three sisters, Cheryl Wahweotten Walker, Mayetta, Lorene "Snooks" Wahweotten, Denver, CO and Elizabeth Bartlett, Topeka; fifteen grandchildren and seventeen great grandchildren.

Native American Church Services will be Saturday evening, September 19th at the Native American Church, west of Mayetta. Burial with military honors will be Sunday afternoon in the Mahkuk Cemetery. Orville will lie in state from 10.00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Saturday at the Chapel Oaks Funeral Home in Hoyt.