Cecil Riding In

Cecil Riding in Jr. April 20, 1948-March 20, 2021


Cecil Riding In Jr. is in Heaven singing God’s praises in his beautiful robust voice. He went home to his Lord and Savior on March 20, 2021 in his home with his wife Jo by his side .Born April 20, 1948, in Waurika, OK. Cecil was the first child born to Cecil Riding In Sr. and Joyce (Sorrell) Riding In. Cecil once described his life as nomadic, moving from Waurika to Durant to three communities in Montana, back to Durant, then Crownpoint, NM. Cecil started high school at Gallup High School in 1963. Tiring of the daily 112 mile bus ride to school, he followed his dad’s call to the sea and enlisted in the Navy at age 17 and served from 1965 to 1969 with most of his enlistment in Vietnam aboard the USS Tombigbee AOCG11 in the Navy in Vietnam. Cecil received the National Defense Medal, Republic of Vietnam Service Medal. In 2019, Cecil received a Quilt of Valor as a thank you and welcome home from his local community .Upon completion of his service to his country, Cecil returned to Gallup High where he drove the Ft. Wingate bus, then transferred to Pawnee High School where he worked for his Uncle Harold at Sorrell Lumber Company. He attended Haskell Indian Junior College where he played on the football team and attended Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. In later years, he acquired his B.S. degree from Southern Nazarene University, began his ministry at Pawnee Indian Methodist Church, and then went on to serve other churches as well. He performed many local marriages and funerals, including having the joy of performing the ceremony to marry two of his granddaughters. Cecil worked in a variety of fields and had a career in the oil fields starting as a “worm” and working his way to “company man” with Gulf Oil Company. He served as a fire lookout for the U.S Forest Service. Decades later in his role as Transportation Coordinator in the Division of Natural resources and Safety, he established a Wildland Fire Program at Pawnee Nation and served as fire chief sending crews out on national fires. Cecil served The Pawnee Nation as Elderly Meals Head Cook until elected to Pawnee Business Council in 1995 as Secretary/Treasurer. Other elected offices held include the Nasharo Council serving a Chief of the Pitahawirata Band and the Pawnee City Council. Cecil also enjoyed the great outdoors fishing, golfing and hunting, especially falling out of his tree stand a couple of times. He could tell some tall fish tales and enjoyed fishing throughout his life. His early fishing years were at Lake Texoma with his family and when attending Fort Lewis College with siblings, enjoying all night fishing with their families. He also enjoyed many fish fries and loved to laugh joke and tease. Cecil is survived by his loving wife Joqueta (Jo) Hunt Riding In and five children: Jay and Libby Rose, Morrison, Dennis Dubois, Maryland, Sam and Leah Vannoy, Pawnee, Angel Riding In, Pawnee and Steven and Juli Creager, Canadian, OK. He was blessed with 14 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. Brothers and sisters include Frances and Glenn Main, Mesquite TX, Bob and Cheryl Riding In Coffeyville, TX, Cheryl and William Brown Grand Junction CO, Marilyn and Harold Feathers Jay OK, and Charles and Dawna Hare Pawnee OK., as well as many nieces and nephews.