Don Osceola is first known Native American in Florida to die of the new coronavirus.

To his family, he was unflappable, never raising his voice or a hand to those who crossed him. Life for this deeply spiritual and highly decorated Native American, Vietnam veteran was a teachable moment.

Don Osceola died of complications related to the new coronavirus Wednesday, making him the first known Native American to die of the lethal disease in Florida.

Osceola was 77. He had been hospitalized at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood since April 17.

Born a Seminole, Osceola grew up on the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, south of Clewiston. In the late 1960s, he became a member of then recently federally recognized Miccosukee Tribe of Indians when he married his first wife, Dorothy Billie, a member of that tribe. The couple had one child, Deanna.

“He was a patient, sweet and genuinely kind,” Deanna Osceola said of her father.

Osceola said her father had been introduced by a family to Christianity as a young child. After marrying Dorothy Billie, Don Osceola blended his Christian faith with the Miccosukee customs.

The result, his daughter said, was quite something to behold and emulate.

Through pressure or any sort of hardship, Don Osceola remained calm. His spiritual connections and faith in God were deep, Deana Osceola said. Life and everything it entailed was a teachable moment for him, she said.

Deanna Osceola said her father encouraged people to have faith in a creator and to believe that struggles will sort out.

“His example instilled in me understanding and compassion,” Osceola said.

Don Osceola graduated from Clewiston High School and joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He earned the Purple Heart, one of many medals he received for meritorious service during the war.

Mitchell Cypress, president of Seminole Tribe of Florida Inc., the business development division of the Tribe, said Osceola was often recognized for his many medals and referred to as “Little Audie

Murphy,” one of the most decorated American combat veterans of World War II.

Osceola pursued theological studies in Gainesville and attended Florida International University, Miami, where he studied architecture. He went on to work for the National Park Service at Shark Valley in Everglades National Park. He also completed police academy training and worked as a police officer with the Miccosukee Police Department.

Later, Osceola worked in the Housing Department of the Miccosukee Tribe.

Following the death of his first wife, Dorothy, he married Mary Osceola, a member of the Seminole Tribe. They raised one son, Christian Osceola. Both survive him.

Funeral services are pending with the Akin-Davis Funeral Home of Clewiston.

Osceola