Edward “Ed” Elephant, Jr., at the age of 66, of Shawnee, passed away on Monday, August 15, 2016 at Hospice Quality Care, Midwest City, Oklahoma.

Ed was born on Mother’s Day, May 14, 1950 to Edward Elephant, Sr. and Pauline Washington Elephant at the Pawnee Indian Hospital in Pawnee, Oklahoma.

He was an enrolled member of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe and also belonged to the Creek and Seminole Tribes.

Ed’s education was completed at South Rock Elementary, Chilocco Indian Boarding School, Haskell Institute and Okmulgee Technical School. He undertook the vocation as a painter while at Chilocco and Haskell. Ed worked as a painter at Allen-Bradley, trained as a housing inspector at the Absentee Shawnee Tribal Housing Authority and later became a housing manager. He worked as a housing inspector at the Sac and Fox Tribal Housing Authority. Ed served as a member on the Absentee Shawnee Tribal EDA board and was contracted as the EDA manager. Tribal politics ended his working career and he began having serious long term health issues.

Preceding him in death are his parents, maternal grandparents, Florine and Willie Washington and paternal grandparents, Annie and Henry Elephant.

Survivors include a sister and brother in law, Pauletta and Charley Johnson, Jr. of Bixby, Oklahoma, sister, Doris Cloud, nephew, Larry Ben Coffee of the home, niece, Amanda Johnson Stafford and her husband, Scott; grandniece Loda Stafford of Willow Park, Texas, uncle, Algene Washington of Tecumseh, Oklahoma and a host of cousins and friends.

Visitation will be from 12:00 noon until 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 17, 2016 and continue until service time at Cooper Funeral Home.

Service will be 10:00 a.m., Thursday, August 18, 2016 at Cooper Funeral Home with Reverend Dan Factor and Scott Stafford officiating.

Burial will follow at Johnson Cemetery under the direction of Cooper Funeral Home of Tecumseh.