Kendrick McCartney Johnson Funeral Home
Former Osage County Clerk Toby T. Bighorse passed away Monday, August 28, 2023, at her home in Pawhuska. She was 86 years old.
Toby was born March 17, 1937, in Pawhuska, the daughter of Norris N. and Mildred Pearson Brown. In April of 1955, she married Kenneth Hemphill Bighorse, Sr., in Tulsa, Okla. He preceded her in death on January 23, 2022.
The Bighorses lived and worked in Pawhuska, where they raised their four sons. Toby worked for Bell Telephone Company as a switchboard operator. She later went to work in the Osage County Clerk’s office, eventually becoming the County Clerk, a career that spanned almost 50 years. She was a member of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, where she served on the Altar Society and the Klah Ka Zhi Club. Toby was a member of the Osage Tribe of Indians.
Surviving are her sons Kenneth Bighorse, Jr., Scott Bighorse, Van Bighorse and Pete Bighorse, Sr., and her brother Norris N. “Tony” Brown, Jr.; eight grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild, as well as other family and friends. In addition to her husband, Toby was preceded in death by her parents, Norris and Mildred Brown.
Rosary will be recited on Thursday, August 31, at 7 p.m., at the Indian Camp Chapel. Traditional services will be held Friday, September 1, at 8 a.m., at the Indian Camp Chapel, followed by Mass at 10 a.m. at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Interment will be in the St. John Cemetery, Pawhuska.