Sophie Yazzie, Arizona's longest-living veteran, dies at 105
Sophie Yazzie (Navajo Nation)
TUCSON, Ariz. - Sophie Yazzie, Arizona's longest-living veteran, died at the age of 105 on Saturday in Tucson.
Yazzie, a member of the Navajo Nation and a World War II veteran, was born in 1914 in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona and served in the United States Army. She had four children, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren with her late husband.
Sophie Yazzie (Arizona Department of Veterans' Services)
“On behalf of the Navajo people, we offer our thoughts and prayers for the family of the late Sophie Yazzie, a matriarch for her family and a warrior for our Navajo people who served our country with great honor and dignity. To her family, we pray for comfort during this difficult time,” President Jonathan Nez said.
After she was honorably discharged from the Army, she returned home to work at a boarding school.
Funeral arrangements for Yazzie have not been announced.