Louis Ballard

 Louis A. Ballard was born Oct. 30, 1954, in Pawhuska, Okla., to Dolores Lookout of the Osage nation and Louis W. Ballard of the Quapaw nation.

He attended Princeton University as a freshman in the school year 1972-1973. He later earned a BFA from the University of Colorado in Denver in 1978.

Louis also earned a Certificate in 3-D design at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M., in 1989. He then graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1992, with an MFA in art and design.

More recently, he worked as a cook at Carle Foundation Hospital and was a part-time ceramics instructor at Parkland College. He also taught art at Danville Area Community College.

Louis was a longtime resident of Seymour.

Survivors include two children, Louis A. Ballard III of Seminole, Okla., and Simone A. Ballard of Amsterdam, Netherlands; grandchildren, Kyron and Michaela Ballard of Seminole, Okla.; sister, Anne Quetone of Skiatook, Okla.; brother, Charles C. Ballard of Tulsa, Okla.; nieces, Avis Ballard of Skiatook, Okla., Jenna Quetone of Tulsa, Okla., Erin Casoose of Skiatook, Okla., and Carly Ballard of Henrietta, Okla.; great-nephews, Lucas Quetone of Tulsa, Okla., and Nathan Dreadfulwater of Skiatook, Okla.; and his life partner, Connie Hamilton of Seymour.

Louis was very active in the community, was loved by everyone and will be greatly missed.

Louis died on Tuesday, July 18, 2017. In accordance with Louis' wishes, he was cremated and his cremated remains will be buried in a private ceremony in Pawhuska, Okla. All local services will be at a later date.