Julia A. Wilson of the Shinnecock Indian Nation died on December 29. She was 87.
Born September 25, 1922, on the Shinnecock Reservation to Isadora and Deforest E. Smith, she attended the little schoolhouse on the Reservation as a youngster and then Southampton High School. She loved to read, dance, crochet and play tennis and badminton with family and friends.
Upon reaching adulthood, she and her sister Juanita Warner ventured into Manhattan where she found work with the New York Telephone Company and enjoyed city life. On July 15, 1945, she married Charles J. “Hub” Wilson III of Greenport.
Ms. Wilson taught Sunday School at the Shinnecock Presbyterian Church for many years and volunteered her time in the food house during the annual Shinnecock Indian Powwow, for which she would prepare her clam chowder. According to survivors, she was a terrific cook who hosted many parties and took great pleasure in entertaining friends and family. She also enjoyed boating and fishing in Shinnecock Bay in the summers.
In addition to her sister, Juanita Warner of Shinnecock, she is survived by a brother, James W. Smith of Shinnecock and his wife Ruth; six cousins, Betty Cromwell, Rosemary Rogers, Hano Smith, Arlene Butler, Bernice Smith and Shirley Smith, all of Shinnecock; two sisters-in-law, Grace V. Smith and Louise Daly; and a host of nieces, nephews and friends. In addition to her husband of 61 years, who died in 2006, she was predeceased by a son, Charles Wilson; a brother, Deforest E. Smith Jr.; and two sisters, Sarah J. Randall and Thelma T. Terry.
Services were held on January 2 at Brockett Funeral Home in Southampton. Interment was at Shinnecock Cemetery.
on Jan 6, 2010