Derrick Adakai

DERRICK ADAKAI Funeral services for lifelong Cortez resident, Derrick Adakai will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 30 at the Ertel Memorial Chapel with interment to follow at the Cortez Cemetery. Pastor Stanley Jones will officiate. Derrick was born Oct. 29, 1981 in Shiprock, N.M. to Sam and Mamie Adakai. He passed away on Saturday, June 25, 2005 in Towaoc at the age of 23. Derrick began his first years of education at Towaoc Headstart and continued on to Mesa, Manaugh, Cortez Middle School and graduated from Montezum-Cortez High School with the Class of 2001. He received the Panther Triumph Award. His graduation was marked with accomplishing all this while being diagnosed with early renal disease at the young age of 8. Both kidneys failed which lead to a kidney transplant in December 1998. After a slow recovery, Derrick began to set personal goals which evolved into his favorite hobbies. Two of his main goals were to master the guitar and continue on with his education of music and technology. He is survived by his mother, Mamie Adakai of Cortez; his father, Sam Adakai of Cortez; a sister, Jennifer Adakai of Dolores; and brothers, Sammy Adakai and Felix Adakai both of Cortez. Also surviving Derrick are his niece, Latrell Jacket of Dolores; brother-in-law, Chancey Jacket of Dolores; aunt, Darlene Pino Ferrin of Golden, Colo.; cousins, Daphen Pino, Miles Pino, Ian Pino, and Austin Apache; and best friends, Lawrence Walker of Dolores and Ian Lehi of Towaoc. There are many extended family members left to mourn his death. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Tom Adakai and Ella Mae Adakai.