Lloyd Winn Obituary

Lloyd "Chet" Alexander Winn, born August 2, 1945, in Clinton, Oklahoma, passed away on Saturday, July 12, 2025, at his home in Ethete following an illness. At the time of his passing, he was surrounded by his beloved wife, Smyrna Sage-Winn. Chet was 79 years old and leaves behind a distinguished legacy of service to Tribal communities, a deep commitment to his family, and proud military service.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 17, at Blue Sky Hall, with Father Tony Salwick officiating. A traditional evening service and wake will take place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 16, at the family residence, 426 Ethete Road. Interment will follow in the Sage-Redman Cemetery in Ethete, Wyoming.
At the start of his fourth semester in college, Chet voluntarily enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, reporting for active duty on September 9, 1966, at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, California. His military occupational specialty was 1391, Bulk Fuel Man, for which he completed four weeks of basic specialty training in 1967. He later attended Legal School in 1969, where he completed courses in Basic Legal Clerk and Microphone and Reporting. In 1970, he underwent general military training in Camp Pendleton, California.
Chet served in combat in South Vietnam from February 1968 to March 1969 and was honorably discharged on March 11, 1970, having attained the rank of Corporal (E-4). His military decorations and honors include the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Navy Unit Citation, and the M-14 Rifle Sharpshooter Badge. In later years, he was diagnosed with service-connected Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in 2007, receiving a fifty-percent disability rating, and was awarded a ten-percent rating for hearing loss in 2010.
In the summer of 1980, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in General Studies with minors in Sociology and Psychology from the University of Central Oklahoma. He graduated from the Denver Paralegal Institute, completing his paralegal training from September 1991 to March 1992 and earning his paralegal certification after completing a 100-hour internship with the law firm of Fredericks, Pelcyger, Hester & White in Boulder, Colorado. He later attended Central Wyoming College in Riverton from the fall of 1994 through the spring of 1997, majoring in Criminal Justice, and pursued further studies in Administration of Justice through the University of Wyoming Outreach Program in Riverton from the fall of 1996 to March 1998. Although he planned to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in May 1998, he withdrew with just nine credit hours remaining due to surgery in March of that year.
His professional journey included serving as Executive Director of the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma's Comprehensive Employment & Training Act (CETA) Program from 1978 to 1979, supervising 44 staff, and later as Executive Director of the Tribes' Food Distribution Program from 1984 to 1985, overseeing 12 staff in El Reno and Weatherford. In Wyoming, he
was selected as Interim Executive Director of the Wyoming Indian Affairs Council from 1995 to 1996, acting as liaison between Governor Jim Geringer's office and the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes, addressing civil rights and discrimination concerns on the Wind River Reservation.
Chet also served the Shoshone & Arapaho Tribes as a Tribal Court Advocate from 1995 to 2005 after studying the Shoshone and Arapaho Law & Order Code and passing the advocate exam on his first attempt. He represented Tribal members in civil and criminal cases and was appointed Guardian ad Litem for children and vulnerable elders. Additionally, he worked from 2000 to 2002 as an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Officer with TERO, Human Resource Director, guiding employment policies, and coordinating the American Indian Livestock Feeding Program under the USDA, supporting Tribal livestock owners. He served as Human Resource Director of the Wind River Casino from March 2005 to October 2005. In this role, he managed employment applications, referred candidates to department supervisors for review, scheduled interviews, and coordinated transportation for drug testing of all current employees. He also conducted new employee orientations as requested and performed various other tasks as directed by the CEO.
Chet shared over 24 years of love and companionship with Smyrna Sage of Ethete. After two years together, during a drive home from Montana following a bowling tournament under a full moon, Chet turned to Smyrna and simply said, "We should get married." Smyrna smiled and replied, "Okay." They were married on December 30, 2002, in Fort Washakie, Wyoming, with her brother Byron Sage and sister-in-law Janis Sage standing as their witnesses.
Chet will be remembered for his unwavering dedication to advancing Tribal sovereignty, protecting civil rights, and uplifting Native communities, as well as for the quiet, steadfast love he shared with Smyrna. He loved to bowl, take long walks, visit the casino, and spend time with family and friends. A Sundancer who deeply honored the Arapaho way of life, he also carried profound respect for his grandfather, Daniel C'Bearing. He was proud to be a United States Marine.
He is survived by his wife, Smyrna Sage-Winn of Ethete; his daughters, Denise Lonelodge, Amber Winn, Alexandria Winn, and his son, Lloyd Winn, Jr., and his sisters, Lela Whitebuffalo-Cozad, Cheryl Whitebuffalo-Gouge, and Billie Propst, and his grandchildren Skuya Medicinehorse, Easton Hill, and Auni Winn, and his aunt, Imogene Jackson of Sacaton, Arizona, one of the oldest Pima elders, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Ethel Hall-Ellis and Mathew Winn, his grandparents, Benjamin and Phoebe (Hall) Ellis, his son, Benjamin Paul Winn, his sisters Winnifred Winn, Hazel Whitebuffalo Fourkiller, and Toni Whitebuffalo Pawnee; and his brother, Raymond White Buffalo, Jr.
Services are under the care of Hudson Funeral Home of Lander, Wyoming.
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