Obituary: Rt. Rev. Steven Tsosie Plummer

Rt. Rev. Steven Tsosie Plummer 1944 ~ 2005 The Rt. Rev. Steven Tsosie Plummer, Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Navajoland (Navajoland Area Mission) died peacefully on the morning of April 2, 2005 in Shiprock, NM at the Northern Navajo Medical Clinic. He had been fighting lymphatic cancer for several years, and bore his illness with dignity as he continued to shepherd his flock. Steven was born on August 14, 1944 in Coal Mine, NM. He was baptized at Good Shepherd Mission, Fort Defiance, AZ in April of 1949. Steven attended boarding school in Albuquerque but spent each summer at Good Shepherd Mission where his aunt (in the Navajo sense, his grandmother) Margaret Hardy was a lay minister. Margaret took Steven under her wing and steered him toward ministry after he dropped out of school. In 1968 Steven became a lay minister, doing missionary work, teaching, and leading the Daily Offices. This one-time ninth grade dropout was accepted by the Diocese of Arizona as a postulant, and embarked upon a challenging course of study and tutoring which eventually lead him to become the first Navajo priest in the Episcopal Church. He completed his GED, and attended Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Steven was ordained Deacon in July of 1975 and Priest in June of 1976. He was a curate at Fort Defiance from 1975 to 1977, vicar of St. John the Baptizer in Montezuma Creek, UT from 1977 to 1983, and became the Regional Vicar of the San Juan area in 1983, serving at St. Christopher's Mission, Bluff and its two smaller churches, St. John the Baptizer and St. Mary-of-the-Moonlight in Monument Valley, UT. He also served as the Presiding Elder of the Navajoloand Area Mission during this time. Steven married a young widow, Catherine Black on June 11, 1977 at Good Shepherd Church, Fort Defiance, and in July a traditional Navajo wedding at the family sheep camp across the San Juan River in Utah. As is the Navajo custom, Steven moved to his wife's home. Together they raised Catherine's sons Byron and Brian, and their son and daughter, Steven, Jr. and Cathlena. When he was ordained, most people did not foresee the establishment of the Navajoland Area Mission as a separate diocese, or the 1989 consecration of Steven Tsosie Plummer as the first Navajo bishop of the Episcopal Church. He took office in 1990 and in that same year College Divinity School of the Pacific granted him an honorary doctorate (DD). In 1991, Nashotah House Seminary presented him with the same honor. Steven is survived by his loving wife of 28 years, Catherine Black Plummer; his children Brian Lance Tso and wife Liberty of Durango, CO; Steven Tsosie Plummer, Jr. and Cathlena Arnette Plummer of Bluff, UT; granddaughters Kelli Ray Tso and Katherine Debray Tso; his loving and caring families in Fort Defiance, AZ and the San Juan area of Utah. Preceded in death by Catherine's son Byron Lance Tso and his aunt Margaret Hardy. The funeral will be held on Wednesday, April 6th at 1:00 p.m. at St. Christopher's Church, Bluff followed by burial at Plohyaghai family cemetery. The Rt. Revs. Frank Griswold (Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church), Rustin Kimsey (Bishop of Eastern Oregon, Retired) and Mark MacDonald (Alaska) will lead the services. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Steven Plummer Family Fund at the Citizen's State Bank, 77 W. Main Street, Cortez, CO 81321 would be greatly appreciated.