Kerry Jolly
Gordon Lanier Folsom, Jr., was born in Durant,Oklahoma on August 14, 1946 and died on January 11, 2026 at the age of 79. He was the son of Gordon L. Folsom, Sr. and Reydonia Peek Folsom of Durant.
Gordon graduated from Durant High School in 1964 and from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 1969. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1969 and served until 1973.
Gordon was a proud member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. His Choctaw Folsom and Pitchlynn family ancestors came to southeastern Oklahoma in 1831 on the “Trail of Tears” from their ancestral lands in Mississippi. His ancestors were among the Choctaw tribal leaders who included Chief Mushulatubbe, Chief David Folsom and he was a great-great-great grandson of Chief Peter Pitchlynn and a relative of Chief William F. Semple. His family were among the first pioneer settlers of Bryan County (then Blue County) and Caddo, Oklahoma. They were among the original Choctaw converts to the Christian faith in Mississippi before the removal, and his great great grandfather Rev.Israel Folsom was one of the first Choctaws ordained as a minister(Presbyterian).
Gordon had many interests. After moving to Tulsa, he continued his involvement in Indian affairs by working for the Oklahoma Tribal Assistance Program and the Tulsa school system educating students on Native American culture. Always interested in art, he painted Choctaw subjects as well as those of ancient Native American cultures and he was a sculpture artist. He participated in Indian cultural events, including dances in Indian costumes that he designed himself. For many years he participated in Civil War reenactments and traveled all over the country with his cannon battery, including Gettysburg and Antietam. He designed and constructed his own cannon. Throughout his life he collected hundreds of arrowheads, Native American pottery shards, spear points and other Native American cultural items.
He never stopped reading and learning about paleontology, archeology. and other areas of interest. He searched for and collected a large number of dinosaur bones.
Gordon was proud of his Air Force service and was an officer in the American Legion Post 1 in Tulsa for many years. As Post historian, he researched and revamped to display the Post’s extensive collection of historic memorabilia. For many years on Memorial Day he placed American flags on the graves of service members at national cemeteries in Tulsa and Muskogee. He did so because his father was a WWII veteran and members of his family had served in American wars from the Revolution to Vietnam.
Gordon was predeceased by his parents . He is survived by his brother R.D. Folsom and wife Peggy Carey of Columbia, SC. He is also survived by his niece Emily Carey Folsom , her son Nolan A. Fernandez and Emily’s husband John Jordan of Columbia,SC ; niece Eliot Anne Folsom and her daughter Rowan Chelsea Folsom of Washington, DC. and nephew Stephen Kyle Folsom and his wife Jane Kepler Folsom and their daughter Piper I. Folsom of Ft. Washington, Md. He is also survived by his cousin Roger N. Butler and his wife Shirley of Idabel; his cousin Carol Peek Hill of Ada, Beau Johnson of Denton, Tx, and Peter Peek of Georgetown, Tx.
Gordon was a faithful Christian who faced illness with grace. A graveside Celebration of the Resurrection will be held for Gordon at Highland Cemetery, Durant, Ok at 11 a.m. on April 24, 2026.