CLOUD – Mary Inez Cloud passed away on January 14, 2022, she was 78 years old.
A Mass will be held at 10:00 am on Friday, June 3, 2022 at St. Ignatius Catholic Church; Rosary will be recited at 9:30 am prior to Mass, with burial following services at Ouray Memorial Cemetery.
Mary Inez attended Allen Day School, Stewart Indian School in Carson City, Nevada and Ignacio High school. She then went on to further her education at Draughon Business College in Albuquerque, NM, Pueblo Community College and the University of Arizona. In her career, she was a dispatcher for the Southern Ute Police Department, a secretary for the Vice-chairman, a Ute Language teacher and Diabetes Educator for Shining Mountain Diabetes Program. She also served on the Southern Ute Housing, Credit and Elders’ committees. As a proud fluent Ute language speaker and daughter of a Sun Dance and Bear Dance chief, she worked tirelessly to document and revive the Ute language. This work earned her fellowships from the American Indian Language Development Institute at the University of Arizona and the National Science Foundation/National Endowment for Humanities. She was a committed Ute language mentor who lovingly mentored numerous tribal learners, rallied for an official Ute language writing system and an Administration of Native Americans Language Preservation and Maintenance grant.
Mary Inez was preceded in death by: her mother Daisy Watts; father Ralph Nash Cloud; siblings: Matilda Santistevan, Roger Cloud, Nathan Cloud, Theatis Williams, Joel Cloud and Dean Cloud; son Scott Edwin Taylor and grandson Francis Taylor.
She is survived by: her siblings, Neida Ray Chackee and Raymond Lucero Sr.; her children, Steven Pete Rivera and Stacey Inez Oberly; grandchildren, Stephanie Goodtracks, Maria Rivera, Jillian Velaquez, Jamie Rivera, Alfred Taylor, Akasia Oberly, Namichen Oberly and John Kuch Oberly; eight beautiful great-grandchildren and numerous loving nieces and nephews.
Please consider a donation in honor of Mary Inez to: Southwest Indigenous Language Development Institute via the Southern Ute Cultural Preservation Dept., PO Box 737, Ignacio CO 81137.