Dathan River Deer Leader passed away in Bixby, Oklahoma on Monday, June 29, 2026, at the age of 27 years.

Dathan is the son of Farron Deer Leader & Geneva Phillips, born on August 27, 1998, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he was brought up. He got his GED and received a Phlebotomist license. He worked the rest of his life as a farmhand along with his family on his grandfather’s land. He loved animals. He enjoyed games of all kinds, photography, and reading.

He is preceded in death by his Grandfather, Edward Simpson..

He is survived by his grandparents, Sandra Simpson, Lisa Phillips and Owen Sapulpa; his father, Farron Deer Leader, and his mother, Geneva Phillips; his siblings, Sky Deer Leader, and Zen Deer Leader; his aunts and uncles, Sandra Sapulpa, Star (Sammy) Allen, Owen Sapulpa, Jr., Marissa (Joshua) Stites, Anita (Nathan) Dorsey, Jonathan Augustine, and their children; cousins, many other relatives, and friends.

Funeral services were held on Friday, July 3, 2026, at 10:00am at the Salt Creek Methodist Church north of Holdenville (7297 E. 125 Rd), with interment following at the Deer Family Cemetery. Rev. Mike Deer and Rev. Edward Bear were the officiating ministers.

Wake service was held on Thursday evening, July 2, at 7:00pm, at the Salt Creek Methodist Church.