Steve Buffalohead

Steve Buffalohead, 85 years old, passed peacefully on January 27, 2021 in the Ponca City Hospital.   Steve was born on February 1, 1935 to Roy Buffalohead and Dorothy Mae (Blueback) Buffalohead.  He was the oldest of 12 children.

Steve attended school in the Ponca City and Marland area and enrolled in Bacone College.  While at Bacone, Steve was active in the boxing club and went on to become Golden Gloves Champion in 1955.   While attending Bacone College he was a member of the Indian Club and enjoyed singing at the drum and going to Stomp Dances.

Steve was very athletic and enjoyed playing baseball and football.  At an early age his interest moved to boxing.   Seeing talent in Steve, his Uncle Martin Blueback took him under his wing and mentored him with his boxing passion.   Uncle Martin coached Steve and attended his boxing matches.  When returning to Ponca City as an adult, Steve started a boxing club and went on to mentor many young Ponca boys.   He taught his daughters the art of boxing and would often have his daughter Tami exhibition box at various tournaments.

Steve traveled throughout the United States working and making friends wherever he went.  In Cleveland, Ohio Steve met his wife, Marie Mason.  Steve and Marie were married for over 40 years and raised 5 children.   In 1972, Steve moved his family back to Ponca City where he could be close to his family.   Steve was a hard worker and could never sit still.   He was always was up fixing or cleaning something.   His greatest joy was helping his children whenever he could and getting to see and play with his grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.

While living in Ohio, Steve worked for a Tire and Automotive Shop and was a bricklayer.  When returning to Ponca City he worked for many years as a truck driver at Pioneer Wholesale.   Steve and Marie owned and ran the Buffalo Lounge in Ponca City.  Steve and his wife retired in Omaha Neb.  However, Steve was still not able to sit still and enjoy retirement. Therefore, he found a job at the Nebraska Indian Health Coalition as a maintenance worker.

In 2016 moved to Skiatook, OK to live with his daughter Terri.  While living in Skiatook, Steve enjoyed fishing with his great grandchildren, going to the park, and visiting with the neighbors.  Steve eventually moved to the Ponca City Nursing home to be close to his brothers and sisters.  Steve was generous and caring.  Anyone who came to his home, he always offered food or drink and never let anyone go hungry, and they always had a place to stay.  Steve was humorous and like to joke with family and friends and making them laugh.   Steve enjoyed home cooked meals, his morning coffee and snacks, he loved doing cross word puzzle and word search and he would read his bible every morning and he also collected buffalo nickels.

Steve was preceded in death by his wife Marie Buffalohead, two daughters, Dorothy (Dori) Buffalohead, Michelle Buffalohead, son, Steve Buffalohead, Jr.  and grandson, Alan R. Kemble.  His parents, Roy Buffalohead and Dorothy (Blueback) Buffalohead, paternal grandparents, Mark Buffalohead and Mary (DeLodge) Buffalohead, maternal grandparents, Ernest Blueback and Nellie (King) Blueback. Siblings Mark Buffalohead, Ronald Buffalohead, Duane Buffalohead, Timothy Buffalohead and sister Betty Stallings

Steve is survived by his brothers, Keith Buffalohead, Dwight Buffalohead and sister Mary Hamilton of Ponca City, and sister Joyce Greenwood of Oklahoma City, OK, his daughters Pam Buffalohead and husband Lorenzo Beard of Moore, OK, Terri Buffalohead of Skiatook, OK, Tami Buffalohead-McGill & husband Jim McGill of Omaha, NE, Dawn Buffalohead of Cleveland, OH and son, David Buffalohead of Cleveland, OH.  Numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, aunties, uncles and friends.  Steve was blessed with 16 grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren and 5 great great grandchildren from the Ponca, Cheyenne-Arapaho, Pawnee, Otoe, Cherokee, Seneca, Ojibwa, Sioux Tribes and other nationalities.

Services will be held Saturday, Jan. 30th and Sunday Jan 31st at the Ponca Tribe Cultural Center White Eagle, Okla.  Steve will be laid to rest on Monday February 1st at Ponca Tribal Cemetery.

Pall Bearers:  Lorenzo (Bo) Beard, Jr., Steve Beard, Steven Buffalohead, Shawn Buffalohead, Newton Kemble, Bobby Robedeaux,  Christopher Robedeaux, and Michael Robedeaux II

Honorary Pallbearers:  Keith Buffalohead, Dwight Buffalohead, Freddy Others, and Batiste Jones.