WINDOW ROCK

More than 200 people showed up Tuesday for the funeral of one of Tuba City’s most beloved leaders.

Irving Marcus Billy, 77, who served as interim vice chairman for the Navajo Nation from 1989 to 1991, was honored at the services held at the St. Jude Catholic Church for the service he had done for the Navajo people.

The eulogy was done by former Navajo Tribal Chairman and President Peterson Zah who said he treasured Billy’s friendship and spoke of the sacrifices he made on behalf of his people while in office and while he worked for the BIA.

One of the major decisions he made was deciding to support the group of Council members who were trying to remove Peter MacDonald as chairman because of his involvement in the Big Boquillas scandal which involved two of MacDonald’s friends making a $6 million profit off the sale of the land to the Navajos.

Many of the people in Tuba City, the community Billy represented on the Council, were major supporters of MacDonald. Billy admitted later that he was jeopardizing his political future by supporting the anti-MacDonald faction.

Also at the service was the tribe’s current president, Russell Begaye, who gave Billy’s family a Navajo Nation flag as well as a copy of the proclamation he had signed to have flags flown at half mast on Tuesday in honor of Billy.