On December 25, 2021, Barney (Judge) Ingram, beloved husband and father,
peacefully passed away at the age of 72 after a long illness in Tulsa, OK. He was in the
comfort of his home and family including his brother, Jack "Kai" Landsberry Jr.
Barney was born on May 21, 1949 to Gladys (Albert) and Anen Ingram in Bryant,
Oklahoma. He was raised by his Creek Grandmother, Bertha Fisher. He spoke of how
well she took care of him and he cherished her memory. He then attended the Bureau
of Indian Affairs (BIA) Jones Academy Boarding School in Hartshorne, OK for 12 years.
He graduated from Hartshorne High School in 1967. He then attended Southeastern
State University, Durant Oklahoma for 2 years. Barney was an enlisted sailor serving as
a mail clerk in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. His occupation was an Industrial
X-Ray Technician from 1980 until his retirement from Shaw Pipeline in 2012. He was
proud of his pipeline work and spoke warmly of his coworkers, friends, travels and
experiences working in his chosen field.
Barney held other properties albeit pretend properties that he and Iliana developed.
They had restaurants and salons "on the hill". These were home properties where they
played waitress and customer, Barney got his nails polished and almost got a haircut,
too. He enjoyed attending Morris, Ok. school events to watch his grandson Jeremiah
and his "boys" play football and basketball. He was an avid fan of football, especially
the OU Sooners right up to Christmas Day. Barney enjoyed his mornings at the
Rosewest dog park with his fur babies. He became kind of a guardian to the small or
timid dogs so he and the fur babies were often invited to dog birthday parties.
His passion for music began early in high school and turned into a serious hobby or
sideline job. In 1965, four classmates formed a popular local Rock band. Former
classmates remember him "jumping in and singing British Band and Motown songs"
during town dances in Hartshorne. He denied that later when he became a Blues music
connoisseur. He started performing with The Loose Goose Band shortly after high
school and later became a leader of his own band. Many will remember the All Night
Sheet Rockers and in recent years, Barney Ingram & Medicine Pony. He played many
local venues such as the Muscogee Creek Nation Annual Festivals where he was often
one of the first front bands. Over the decades, Barney has been playing music for many
people and groups and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Barney and his bands performed at the annual Tulsa Blues Festivals, Okmulgee VFW
Post 1189, Henryetta VFW, the Annual Blue Note Roundup and Annual Vietnam
Veterans Reunion on the Illinois River. He also performed at the National Congress of
American Indians (NCAI) conference in Tulsa, the foremost American Indian advocacy
group in the United States.
His favorite experience was meeting the renowned band, Redbone and one of the
founders, Pat Vegas during one of the Muscogee Creek Nation (MCN) annual festivals.
When the MCN festival music concerts got rained out, Pat Vegas showed up at the
Okmulgee VFW where Barney was performing. Pat Vegas tapped him on the shoulder
and said, "We're here to jam, let's get this show started!" That ended with a night of
continuous music, lots of laughs and stories and finished with a bonfire at his home in
Okmulgee. He was good friends with several notable local and national musicians the
likes of Gary P. Nunn when he lived in Hanna, Ok. He was the caretaker of Jerry Jeff
Walker's horses. He was best friends with the late Jimmy "JR" Markham, a recipient of
Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame, as well as many members of the Tulsa Sound.
Barney enjoyed hosting and working with the late Sherwood Ball, a Creek Indian who
was notable as one of the few American Indians producing, directing and writing
screenplays for commercial films. Sherwood Ball actually introduced this entree into
filmmaking by American Indians to Barney and Ruth at the Red Fork Film Festival.
Later, Barney and Ruth became volunteers with the Tribal Film Festival (TFF) in 2018 to
promote education and formulate ways for American Indian people to work in the film
industry. Celia Xavier-Ball is Founder of the Tribal Film Festival and became a diehard
fan of Barney for his contributions. Barney was asked to host the special guests and to
"entertain them". He ended up making deep and valued friendships with each one. In
2017, at the premiere of the movie, Hostiles, he caught up with friend and former bingo
caller (co-workers), Honorary Academy Award recipient, Wes Studi. Wes Studi invited
him to go to Hollywood since they need to hire "real Natives". After the 2018 premiere
of "Woman Walks Ahead", star Michael Greyeyes invited him to attend an award event
later that year where he would receive the "Auggie Award", the "ImagineNATIVE" event
in his hometown of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The August Schellenberg annual award
was named after Michael's mentor. He was honored to be invited so he and Ruth
attended the important event. In 2019, he hosted and became close friends with Netflix,
Chambers star, Marcus Lavoi and Blackwater movie screenwriter/filmmaker, Boise
Esquerra. Such notable and up and coming American Indian film producers, writers,
directors and actors such as Marco Fuller and Billie D. Merritt also became close friends
with Barney. They were charmed by and loved his irreverent and self-deprecating
Indian humor, Indian stories, and that he knew where to get good food in Tulsa. If they
needed a gift, a souvenir or to go sightseeing, Barney was willing to spend time with
them. All of this exposure to the filmmaking world made him curious. Later,
encouraged by Ruth, Cecelia and Angelique Midthunder of Midthunder Casting, he went
to his first casting call for extras. The movie was the Killers of the Flower Moon being
shot in Pawhuska, Oklahoma by Martin Scorsese based on the best selling book by
David Gann. He was hired to play one of the Osage tribal council members. He met
and later assisted Robert De Niro after an accident on location and became wellacquainted
with William Belleau, leading actors in the Movie. During the shoot, one
early morning drive for his Covid test, he asked Ruth to drive him to Pawhuska. She
asked why, she had given him a map and he had his GPS. He told Ruth, "I need a
driver so I can sit and focus on my movie career" and then laughed. Again, under the
most trying conditions during the shoot, he made many friends on location with his
humor and kindness.
Survivors include Ruth E. Bible-Ingram, spouse and his step-children who he raised as
his own, Sundala Bible-Pinion of the home, Mallory Bible and her daughter, Iliana
Dunson of Glenpool, OK. He is also survived by Rhonda Cambiano, former spouse
and daughter, Cassi Cambiano Munneke, grandson, Cade Manion of Tahlequah, OK.
Jessica Ingram and her son, Jeremiah Jones and Lanaya Poole of Okmulgee, OK. He
is survived by children, Larry Phelps, Siloam Springs, AR, Jade Cummings, Pawhuska,
OK., Barbara Ingram-Johnson of Houston, TX., Colby Wensman of Skiatook, OK. and
London Hawkins, Idaho Falls, ID. and six (6) other grandchildren. Barney adopted
many other children and grandchildren of close friends,or family members to encourage
in school or sports.
Per Barney's wishes the family welcomes potted plants in lieu of fresh flowers. After
cremation, the family will build a memorial garden for the grandchildren and his "fur
babies". He will be interred in a family cemetery at a later date.
Arrangements are entrusted to Schaudt's Glenpool Funeral Service & Cremation Care, 719 East 141st Street, Glenpool, OK 74033. Family and friends may leave kind words of comfort, special memories and condolences to the family online at www.schaudtfuneralservice.com
Thursday, January 6, 2022
5:00 - 7:00 pm (Central time)
Schaudt's Glenpool Funeral Service Chapel
Friday, January 7, 2022
2:00 - 3:00 pm (Central time)
Schaudt's Glenpool Funeral Service Chapel
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