TAHOLAH — Services for Quinault elder Barbara ‘Gee’ Capoeman will be today.
Services will be at 10 a.m. at Coleman Mortuary in Hoquiam with a dinner to follow at 3 p.m. at the Taholah School.
Capoeman, who was the oldest living female elder of the Quinault Nation, died on May 3 at Grays Harbor Hospital at the age of 93.
Known as Auntie or Grandma Gee, she was honored for several years at the Quinault National Annual General Council and was recently presented with a beaded medallion and Pendleton blanket.
She was one of 12 children born to Herb and Lizzie Capoeman and was the oldest daughter of the family.
Born in Taholah, she later married and moved to Melbourne outside of Montesano.
She was known for her cooking skill, especially for her baked bread.
Growing up in Taholah, she was able to witness many of the changes that happened in the village since she was a young girl; such as electric lights and indoor water/plumbing and paved streets, including the paved road from Moclips to Taholah.
“She was a tiny woman, but had a big voice and often raised her concerns about the need for an assisted living center for elders or more apartments for elders on the reservation so that people could remain in close contact with their family members,” the tribe said in a news release issued Tuesday.
