Estella Mae Namahoe February 24, 1955 - May 18, 2022

Estella passed peacefully in her sleep on May 18, 2022, in Portland, Oregon after an extended battle with a debilitating medical condition. She entered this world on February 24, 1955, and was the daughter of David and Stella Harvey of Parker, Arizona. She was born a member of the Navajo Nation and always took pride in that heritage. She had four biological siblings, Rosemarie, Alvin, Shirley, and John.

As a young child, Estella was adopted by Clyde and Kaye Westwood, immediately gaining a younger brother, Dallin, in the process. The family later moved to Hawaii where four additional adopted children, David, Kenneth, Susan, and Tina, joined them. Growing up in Hawaii, Estella established lifelong friendships with people hailing from all parts of Polynesia and the Pacific Rim. While she initially attended Kahuku High School, she ultimately graduated from Liahona High School in Tonga.

Estella married Ben Namahoe in 1972 and gave birth to five beautiful daughters, Lisa, Nani, Tani-Kaye, Sunshine, and Hoku. Later, she gave birth to her son Hunter. She studied at Brigham Young University and earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology. She would go on to work in Utah’s Division of Family Services for many years as an Indian Child Welfare Specialist focused on cases involving the Northern Ute Tribe.

In 2002, Estella was recruited by the Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indian Reservation in northeastern Oregon to serve as the tribe’s child welfare caseworker. Her heritage, training, and prior work experience proved to be excellent assets in this new assignment. She had developed an ability to read people and family dynamics at a level that exceeded most of her colleagues and supervisors. It was her job to train others and put dysfunctional families back to together. She was gifted with an excellent court presence and was comfortable addressing large groups of people. She quickly gained a reputation as a fighter for families and a defender of Native American rights and interests.

In 2006, Estella was offered a position with the Department of Human Services in Portland where she served as a permanency worker in the Indian Child Welfare Unit at East Branch. In 2015, she was recognized with the Tom Moan Award given to one caseworker per year. In an organization employing 8,500 caseworkers, this recognition was significant. She was also recognized for her work by the Portland Native Community and at the ICWA State Tribal Conference in 2019 at Klamath Falls.

Estella was blessed over the latter part of her life by her relationship with James St. Martin. They lived and loved and traveled together, visiting many of the nation’s western national parks. They also made time to trace her Navajo roots back to Lukachukai, where her biological father was laid to rest. There she met several living blood relatives and reconnected with her family and origins. Jim was a devoted and loving partner to the end, caring for Estella through trying times.

Our much beloved “Della Mae” will be laid to rest alongside her father, Clyde Westwood, and her little sister, Tina Kanani, at the Evergreen Cemetery in Springville, Utah, on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. She is survived by her mother, Kaye Westwood; siblings, Dallin, David, Kenneth, and Susan; children, Lisa, Nani, Tani-Kaye, Sunshine, Hoku, and Hunter; and biological siblings, Alvin Harvey and Shirley Jensen.

Aloha-Oe Estella; until we meet again!

A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at Walker Funeral Home, 587 South 100 West, Payson, Utah. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. at the funeral home. Again, interment will be in Evergreen Cemetery, 997 South 400 East, Springville, Utah.