Roland Orlando Ethelbah

Roland Orlando Ethelbah died Friday, June 5, 2020, in Mesa, Maricopa County, Arizona.  He was 58 years old.  Roland was born on a Saturday, December 2, 1961, to his parents, Nelson Lloyd & Winona Ethel Chester Ethelbah. 

In 1981, Roland began working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in its Game & Fish Department as a game warden.  He also was a diesel mechanic and, most recently, he was the shop foreman.  He was well-liked and respected by his co-workers and peers.  He loved nature and being outdoors.  He, literally, was one of the best hunting guides the state of Arizona has ever seen.  He led and guided hundreds of hunters over the years.  For many of those hunters, they considered the hunting trips with Roland to be their most successful.

Roland was a man who loved his children.  He was an excellent Dad and was quite soft spoken.  He taught them to be kind, caring and forgiving to others around them.  He taught them the importance of being respectful to everyone and, at the same time, he also taught them to never allow others to take advantage of their kindness.  He raised strong and responsible children who've grown up to be examples of humility to all.  He was so proud of his children.  He was a man who adored his grandkids.  The joy he received from his own children was magnified ten-fold when those grand babies started to be born.  He loved being "Grandpa" to each and every one.

This one of a kind man will be greatly missed by those he adored the most and those who loved him the most.  He was the perfect father to his 4 children:  Loranda Ethelbah, Yolanda Ethelbah, Amanda Ethelbah (deceased in 2008), Theodore Ethelbah; 4 grandchildren:  Shilo Kane, Kaitlyn Betoney, Ty Goseyun, Christian Ethelbah and his birth mother, Winona Ethelbah of Sanders, Arizona; brother, Gilbert Cerferno Ethelbah; as well as numerous cousins, and a niece, Serafina Ethelbah.

Roland's viewing took place from 2:00 to 4:00 P.M., on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, at Owens Livingston Mortuary - White Mountain Chapel in Show Low, Arizona.  The graveside service took place 9:00 A.M., Wednesday, June 10, 2020, at the Family Plot Cemetery in Sanders, Arizona where he was laid to rest alongside his grandmother, Ida Amanda Chester.

Roland's children are thankful for the kind expressions of sympathy they have received from their community of friends and are especially grateful for all of the prayers offered up on their behalf.