James Ginnaty

James “Jim, Jimmy, Wild Man” Jeffery Ginnaty passed away peacefully in his sleep on August 12, 2017, surrounded by the love of his wife, sister and brother-in-love in his home state of Montana. He was 62.
He was born April 6, 1955, in Great Falls, Mont., the eldest son of James Udell and Ernestine Ginnaty.
Jim grew up on the family’s rural property in Great Falls, playing and doing chores alongside his eight siblings. Because of flooding, Jim moved out of the house at age 12. He worked to help support his family from a young age. In 1972 he graduated from CM Russell High School.
Jim loved a good adventure and at 18 he and a friend hitchhiked to Alaska, starting his next adventure. He lived in numerous communities throughout Alaska and was a jack-of-all-trades. He worked in the fishing industry, timber, mining, water and wastewater, healthcare as a facility manager, and finding his passion in teaching, encouraging and serving janitors.
In November 1984, he walked into a State Farm office (at the encouragement of his brother) to meet the girl with great legs. Jim married Shan six months later. He loved and embraced his new family, including Shan’s young children Quinn and Amber.
In 1986, the family moved from Fairbanks to Sitka, where they were  joined by Rachel in 1987 and Micah in 1988. Jim was present and involved in both of his children’s home births.
In 1987, Jim went to work for SEARHC, where he was employed for 25 years in various positions serving 18 remote villages in Southeast Alaska. Small floatplanes were his main form of transportation to and from the villages, where he invested his heart, soul and lust for life. He felt honored to be part of the communities and loved learning the Alaska Native culture.
After Jim left SEARHC in 2012, he continued his passion, working for the University of Michigan as a program manager and a board member of the Simon Institute. It was at the Simon Institute that Jim found his “band of brothers.”
After living on a remote island in Alaska, Jim and Shan were excited to be living on the road system once again. He loved weekend road trips with his wife, and the two often just got in the car with no destination in mind and saw what they could find. They especially loved going to zoos and visiting historical sites – history was something that Jim loved and he was a lifelong learner.
In January 2017 Jim and Shan moved to Bellingham, Wash., to be close to their children and grandchildren. Jim loved taking his grandchildren to the park and playground. He looked forward to investing into their lives. He would include them in the projects he was doing around the house, teaching and passing on his knowledge. He could fix anything!
Jim was predeceased by his father,  James Udell Ginnaty, and mother, Ernestine Ginnaty.
He is survived by his wife Shan Ginnaty; children Quinn Sells, Amber Manz, Rachel Ginnaty and Micah Ginnaty; grandchildren Klover Sells, Ania Sells, Mabel Ginnaty, Lux Manz and Rowan Manz; siblings Rose Kunz, Kathy Martz, Nancy Foster, Roland Ginnaty, Kenneth Ginnaty, Bunny Ginnaty, Robert Ginnaty and Matthew Ginnaty; and numerous nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends who were also like family.
Jim Ginnaty was a genuine soul. He loved encouraging and empowering those around him and fearlessly fought for what was right. A gathering of remembrance will be taking place on Sept. 23 in Edmonds, Wash.
The family will also be holding a celebration of life on the one-year anniversary of his passing; no details are available yet about the event.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in his name be made to the local Salvation Army as a way to honor and continue his generosity.
“Jim loved well, lived well and is now on a new adventure,” his family said. “He will be missed!”

A funeral service for Charlotte (Bell) Nielsen, and a memorial for her daughter, Jolene (Nielsen) (Overman) Rodriguez will be held at noon Wednesday, Sept. 27, at the First Presbyterian Church, 505 Sawmill Creek Road. A graveside service at about 1:30 will be followed by a luncheon at the church’s Latta Hall.

Charlotte (Bell) Nielsen

Jolene (Nielsen) (Overman) Rodriguez

Charlotte died Sept. 21 at SEARHC Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital at age 87. Jolene died July 26 at her home. She was 58.

Charlotte was born April 29, 1930, in Angoon, the daughter of Mary (James) and Archie Bell. After her father’s death, her mother married Andrew Wanamaker.

Charlotte attended school until fifth grade, in 1942, then attended Sheldon Jackson Junior High and then Sheldon Jackson High School, until 1947. She married James J. Nielsen Sr. May 9, 1952, at the Presbyterian Church. The clergyman was Rev. Elwood Hunter; best man was Charlie Joseph; bridesmaid was Bertha Jacobs; maid of honor Lucrecia Eldemire; and ushers Albert Nielsen, Raymond Nielsen and Herbert Didrickson.

Charlotte was a shareholder of Sealaska Regional and Shee Atika corporations.

Charlotte began working in 1971 as a laundry worker, and in 1981 as a custodian, with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. She sold Avon products in 1984, moved to Homemaker 1985-87, then worked for SEARHC until she retired in about 2010.

Her lifetime interests included crocheting doilies and afghans, sewing, playing Christian music on her electric piano, and traveling with her cousin Bertha (Jacobs) Karras. She also loved the great outdoors, picnicking, boatnicking, and traveling on the ferry to visit family around Southeast.

Her doilies will be displayed at the luncheon.

Charlotte was preceded in death by her parents and half sister Elizabeth (Wanamaker) Peratrovich; auntie Emma Hamberg and sisters Lucy (Bell) DeAsis, Beatrice (Bell) Paul and her husband Pat Paul and brothers Steven, Royal DeAsis and Clarence Bell.

Daughters Sandra (Nielsen) Lawrence, and Jolene (Overman) (Nielsen) Rodriguez; son-in-law Sam Overman; brothers-in-law Albert Nielsen Sr., Raymond Nielsen Sr., Arthur Nielsen, Archie Nielsen, Harry Bartels Sr., Jack Makinen, Peter George (and his wife Betty (Howard) George; cousin Cyril George and nephews, Albert Nielsen Jr. and his son William A. Nielsen, Tomas Nielsen, Philip Nielsen, John Bartels Sr., Harry Bartels Jr., John Bartels Sr., Frank and Marvin Jones; sister-in-law Agnes (Nielsen) Bartels; and nieces Minn Bartels and June Nielsen also preceded her in death.

Charlotte is survived by her former husband John J. Nielsen Sr. and John’s cousin Lou Primacio and her family; cousin Bertha (Jacobs) Karras and husband Pete Karras Sr. and their family, Peter Karras Jr., Pamela Kathy (Karras) Pook, Michael, Ernie, and Peter Karras’s wife Erica and their children.

Also surviving are sister-in-law Ethel Makinen and her family members; sister-in-law Kathy (Nielsen) Williams and her family members; also, Rose Ballenger, Patsy Pelayo, Guy Pelayo Jr., Russell George and his sister Debra George, and Cheryl George; nephews Bernard, Milton, Royal, and Timothy DeAsis; and nieces Verna (Johns) Johnson and her children Daniel, Alvin, Donald, Valorie, Melanie and their family, and Alberta (DeAsis) Everson.

Charlotte’s surviving sons are James, Robert, and Leonard Nielsen and James’ sons and grandchildren Garrett, Derick Nielsen and Derick’s son and daughter OJ and Nevah Nielsen. Also surviving are nieces Shirly (Nielsen) Senn, Julie Nielsen, Louann Nielsen, Lolly Nielsen and their family, Eileen (Nielsen) Weathers, Cynthia (Tutiakoff) Carlson, Dora (Bartels) Biggs and her family, Richard and family, and Lillian (Nielsen) Young and her family, Kyle Young, Josh Young, Kyla Young, Chris (Bartels) Clingenpeel and family, and Steven Bartels, sister Kristin Bartels, and nephews Jeff, Ken Nielsen, Ki Nielsen, Douglas, Clyde Bartels, and Timothy Tutiakoff and children Tim, Jeromy and Tammy.

Also surviving are numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren Kimberly Lapchynski and the Overmans and Perter (Nielsen) Martin.

Jolene (Nielsen) (Overman) Rodriguez’s surviving children are Johnny Jacobs, Michael and Brian Overman and her grandchildren.

Jolene’s interests were traveling with mom, playing pool, tour guiding, fishing the salmon derbies, sewing and volunteering for the children for annual Christmas parties.

Pallbearers are Ki Nielsen, Nathan Bernhardt, Pete Karras, Ernie Karras, Don Petro and Clyde Bartels.

Honorary pallbearers are Ernie Hillman Sr., Harold Jacobs, Maria (Kitka) Thiemeyer, Jim Button, Andrew Roberts, Cheryl (Johnson) Duncan, Kyle Young, Paddy Hansen, Don Garrity, Russell George, Douglas Bartels, Nels Lawson Sr., James J. Nielsen Sr., Lawrence (Woody) Widmark, Eugene Bourdukofsky and Timothy Tutiakoff.

In lieu to flowers, the family suggests contributions to the First Presbyterian Church, 505 Sawmill Creek Road.

(Mary) Jolene (Nielsen, Overman) Rodriguez

In Memoriam:

If you’re about done with summer visitors, buck up buttercup. Consider: (Mary) Jolene (Nielsen, Overman) Rodriguez (you might have known her as “Auntie Jolene”) who went on a long walk into the woods on July 26, 2017. Her spirit is carried on by her three children, grandchildren, three surviving siblings, Sitka Native Education Program kids, Sitka Tribal Tours plus Visit Sitka co-workers and an extended family of relations and friends from every walk of life. 

We were lucky for 58 years to have a “master” tour guide to teach us how to love questions and laugh away the stupid. “We want to visit the RAPTURE Center – is it free? What’s the elevation in Sitka? Where is the Native Dance – is it free? Do you have grocery stores here? Hey, you’re a real person.” 

In her lifetime, Jolene made contact time after time and friends every summer. Visitors were always surprised to learn this proud Tlingit woman traveled widely, making her home in Oregon, Massachusetts and North Carolina before returning to Sitka to practice her craft: making people laugh.

She bragged that there wasn’t a bus of cranky, wet complaining cruise ship guests that she couldn’t turn with a wink and a joke. Soon she had them speaking Tlingit “thank you” and dancing with her favorite group, the Naa Kahidi Dancers. As they exited, her voice often rose above the room as she sang along.

“There are a lot of words I could use to describe Jolene, but calm wouldn’t be one of them,” said her friend Tonia Puletau-Lang. “When she was happy about something, joy and excitement would radiate from her whole person, and she would beam. When she was unhappy about something … you KNEW.” Puletau-Lang continued, “That girl loved to laugh and she was fiery! I loved her for it.”

Another long-time love was the Sitka Native Education Program (SNEP) where Jolene mothered many generations of SNEP kids with her driving, life lessons, and cooking. Shawaan Jackson-Gamble wrote on Jolene’s Facebook page, “Lost one of the nicest ladies I knew and best bus driver I had for SNEP. Really gunna miss running into you whenever I got to Sitka. My heart is breaking.”

Those who knew Jolene will remember her every time they taste homemade strawberry-rhubarb jam shared at work for those who wouldn’t take the herring eggs and seaweed. Will hear her sassy voice telling visitors, “It’s almost free and yes, I’m a real person!” as we face down new questions and less-than-awesome visitor attitudes. We will remember her salty sense of humor and love of celebrity gossip websites even when they froze her “work” computer. We will know that her faithfulness signaled to us who loved her that her long walk must have started because she would never have no-called, no-showed to anything she had promised to do. So in honor of our friend we will laugh longer, smile bigger and hug harder and we will not stay calm! 

Jolene is survived by her father, brothers, children and grandchildren along with all of us who loved her like the family of our hearts. If you are wondering how to celebrate her life, we know that Jolene adored visiting the eagles at the Alaska Raptor Center, communing with the bears at Fortress of the Bear, and sending visitors to explore the wonder of St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral. Donations in her honor are always welcome.

Herb Didrickson Sr.

Services have been scheduled for Herb Didrickson Sr., a lifelong Sitkan and a legendary basketball player.

A service will be at noon Tuesday, Oct. 3, at the First Presbyterian Church, with a reception to follow in the church’s Latta Hall.

A celebration of his life will be held at Harrigan Centennial Hall from noon to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19.

Herb died Sept. 25 in Sitka at the age of 91.

He was born June 11, 1926, in Sitka; his Tlingit name was Jin’kooteen. He attended the Front Street School, in  the 200 block of Katlian Street, and Sheldon Jackson High School, graduating in 1946.

He and classmate Pollyanna Lott were married Sept. 4, 1948, in the Sitka Presbyterian Church.

A superb athlete, he was recognized for his basketball playing on the local, state, national and even international levels, but decided to stay in Sitka. He was a member of the Gold Medal Hall of  Fame, and also was a referee, a softball coach, and an avid spectator.

He was a member of Alaska Native Brotherhood Camp 1, Sealaska and Shee Atika corporations. He was a Sitka Tribe of Alaska council member, and was active in the Presbyterian Church.

Over the years he was a fisherman, an upholsterer, a teacher at Mt. Edgecumbe High School, and an Alaska Airlines employee.

He was a devoted husband, father, grandpa and great-grandpa.

“Our dad was giving and loving, first and foremost, to his family. ...  His values and beliefs were his way of life,” his children wrote.

“He also loved to be his own tour guide – he’d take people on his Sitka tours!”

Herb was preceded in death by his parents, Simon and Jennie Didrickson, his birth mother Katherine White and his stepmother Susie.

He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Pollyanna Didrickson, of Sitka; his daughter Vickie Didrickson, her daughters, Polly Bingham and Christina Harris, all of Anchorage, and son Freddie Hamilton of Craig; his son David Didrickson of Kake and children, Richard, of Kake, David of Pennsylvania, Daisy of Anchorage, and Sandra Brendan and Elijah, both of Sitka; and son Herb Didrickson Jr. and his son, Aaron, both of Sitka.

Pallbearers will be Freddie Hamilton, Aaron K. Didrickson, C.J. Taccod, Mason Martin Eubanks, Asa Demmert,  Ben Exe, Isaiah Rexford, Al Samuelson and Jamal Alstrom.

Honorary pallbearers are Willis Osbakken, Gil Truitt, Emma Borbridge, Sam Martin, Cecilia Borbridge, Gus Adams, David Leask, Rog Levine, Ken Creamer, Sam Kitka, Corrine Brown, Maggie Verney, Fred Hope, Bill McNaly, Stan Filler, Dan Evans, Mervin Haven, Charlie Daniels, Mary Jones, Adeline Burton, Herman Davis, Don Natkong and Ruth Williams

A bank account has been set up at First National Bank Alaska under Friends of Jin’kooteen, account number 31230998.

Memorial donations also may be sent to Ken Creamer, 101 Sunset, Sitka, AK 99835.

Alice Margaret Kitka Harlow

Services for Alice Margaret Kitka Harlow will be held 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, at St. Michael’s Cathedral.

A reception, a potluck, will follow at the American Legion Hall.

Alice died Sept. 27, at the Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage. She was age 50.

Alice was born Jan. 17, 1967, in Sitka, and was a lifelong resident.

Over the years she had worked as a logger, a bartender and a CNA.

She is survived by her father, Harold Kitka, and her mother, Anne Johnson, both of Sitka; sisters Barbara Kitka, Marla Kitka and Jan Meabon, all of Sitka; brother Roy Kitka, Sitka; aunt Kathy Lawrence of Juneau; uncles Ed Kasko of Ketchikan and Ben Didrickson of eastern Washington; and her two grandsons, Anthony and Jaiden Teas, whom she loved very much.

Also surviving are numerous nephews, nieces and her godfather, Herman Davis of Sitka.

Honorary pallbearers will be David Meabon, Mark Davis, Harry Lysons, Nick Anderson, Ken Rear, Chuck Hackett, Herman Davis, John Nielsen, John Bradley, James Bradley and Ray Nielsen.

Elizabeth Starla Eskelin

Elizabeth Starla Eskelin, 44, of Elfin Cove, passed away on June 15, 2016.

She was born in Santa Rosa, Calif.,  in 1971, and shortly thereafter moved to Alaska with her family.

Elizabeth loved Alaska and fishing.  She spent her younger years commercial fishing with her family and friends before purchasing her own troller, the Silvery Moon, and spent her summers hand trolling in Cross Sound.

She also fished with her father, Charles Piedra, aboard his troller the Mrs. Mac. 

She enjoyed photography and had an old-time photo studio in Soldotna and then in downtown Juneau.

She was a gifted quilter, crafter, hunter, provider, subsistence harvester and, most of all, Mother. 

Elizabeth received her master’s degree in education from the University of Alaska Anchorage and taught kindergarten in Selawik, Alaska.  She had received a bachelor’s degree in Community Rural Development from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and also attended culinary school in Bellingham Wash.

She is survived by her son Avery Palchikoff; daughters Natalia Smith and Sarah Eskelin; mother Shirley Perkins of Elfin Cove; father Charles Piedra, now of Arkansas; sister Mercedes (Jordan) Phillips and daughter Aurora  of Sitka and Elfin Cove; sister Lillian (Chris) Lyne and children Rowan and Ariana, at the Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Ga.; and grandfather Alert Mello Sr. of California.

The memorial service will be held in Elfin Cove on July 30.  For information about the service contact the family in Elfin Cove at 907-239-2246.  Contributions in Elizabeth’s name can be made to P.O. Box 29 Elfin Cove Alaska 99825.  All contributions will go to her dependents.

Clifford George Robards

Episcopal services for Clifford George Robards will be held 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Peter’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church. Rev. Julie Platson will officiate.

A reception hosted by the Sitka Emblem Club will be at the Sitka Elks Lodge from noon-3pm after the church service.

A viewing will be from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight at Prewitt’s Funeral Home. 

Interment will be 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 9, at Sitka National Cemetery. 

Cliff, 80, died of natural causes in his home on Harbor Drive on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017.

He was born Dec. 14, 1936, in Longview, Wash., to Clifford L. Robards and Gladys (Dodge) Robards.

Cliff arrived in Juneau in 1940 with his family, when his father was hired as the first residential engineer for the Territory of Alaska. The family then moved to Anchorage when his Dad went to work for Columbia Lumber. 

Cliff graduated from high school and attended the University of Alaska in Fairbanks before the family relocated to Sitka, with his Dad working for Columbia Lumber Company – located on the same property that son Tuffy now owns as Stereo North.

Cliff’s first job in Sitka was as U.S. marshal for the Territory and then as a  police officer for the Sitka Police Department.

He was a player on the Sitka ANB basketball team and traveled to Ketchikan where he met the love of his life, Shirley Elizabeth Milonich. They married on April 18, 1959, at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.

In 1960 he was drafted into the U.S. Army and was stationed in Straubing, Germany, for the next two years. After returning to Sitka he went back on the Sitka police force, until 1964 when he took a job at Alaska Lumber & Pulp Company. He was with ALP for 26 years as a Roving Foreman. 

The second love of his life was his son Tuffy, born in 1963, and when he retired in 1993 from ALPS it was to work and be a partner with Tuffy at Stereo North. After purchasing the property at 342 Lincoln Street, father and son together in 2005 designed, planned and oversaw the building of the Stereo North building with an apartment upstairs for Shirley and Cliff, a dream come true.

Besides being a licensed electrician, Cliff loved going fishing with Shirley, he drew and painted, played the piano, was a wood carver, an avid ping-pong player, a designer and architect, and an overall fix-it person with no job too complicated or too small. 

Cliff was a Life Member of the Sitka Elks Lodge and Sitka Sportsman Association, and belonged to the Moose Lodge. He had served on the Vestry of St. Peters Episcopal Church.

If you ask his family about who he was they would tell you he was always ready to help you or give advice if you asked for it, his family wrote. “He would take the time to explain in detail the why and how something could be fixed or done. Whether at a family gathering or dinner at one of his favorite eating spots, it was guaranteed a discussion about current events, politics, family, religion or just about anything would give each and every one of us the ability to voice our opinion.

“He loved it. We were all given the smile, the wink and then ‘Remember I love you’ no matter how the conversation ended.

“Family meant a great deal to him and Uncle Cliff was always there for us. We will all miss him very much.”

Survivors include his wife Shirley and son, Tuffy, of Sitka; brother John Robards of Longview, Wash., sister Ruth Black of Seattle, Wash., and sister-in-law Ethel Staton of Sitka. 

Other survivors are niece Candi Barger, of Sitka, her son Heath Barger, daughter Gerri Chambers, and granddaughter, Holly Chambers, all of Bellevue, Wash.; and nephew Norman Staton and his wife Donna, of Juneau, and their daughters, Katie McCann (Justus) of Eugene, Ore., and Tess Staton of Juneau. Other nieces and nephews also survive.

Pallbearers will be Tuffy Robards, Heath Barger, Norman Staton, Robert Paul Leighton, Don Anderson, Mark Puletau, Perry Comas and Chris Balovich

Honorary pallbearers are Ricardo Morales, Dominic Salvato, John Robards, Douglas Henie, George Messerschmidt, Leslie Pellett, Billy Brown, Blake Ricketts, Jon Calhoun, Billy Steinbach, Jon Shennett and Yarek Nibursky.

Correspondence can be sent to P.O. Box 235 or 342 Lincoln St., Sitka, AK 99835. Memorials may be made to a favorite charity in Clifford Robards’ name.

The family would like to thank everyone for all their gestures of love and support. ‘‘Your kindness and prayers have given us strength,’’ family members said.

Winifred Gail Bailey

Winifred Gail Bailey, a former Hollywood photographer, died Oct. 4 at the Sitka Pioneers Home, two days after celebrating her 100th birthday.

Winifred was born Oct. 2, 1917, in Los Angeles, Calif., to William and Edith Grace (Chaddock) Stenger. She was their second child, but was raised alone, as her older sister died at 22.

Winifred graduated from Hollywood High School, and continued to live in Hollywood, working as a talented professional photographer there in the 1940s.

Winifred credited her mother with getting her involved in photography. She started out retouching photos for a photographer and  later ran her own business under the name Winifred Gail Photography. The name was proudly displayed on the wall outside her studio and she preferred to be called Winifred Gail throughout her life. 

She photographed many famous Hollywood actors and actresses of the era. Winifred was also the director of the Art Department at Hollywood High and was a talented artist, especially with drawing and painting.

She also played the organ and the piano and enjoyed the classics in music. Winifred was a Christian Scientist and was proud to say she had practiced science and health with key to the scriptures with very few exceptions in her 100 years.

Winifred also was a talented musician and enjoyed taking organ lessons over the years to better herself. She loved playing in large churches where for many years she was known as “The Organ Lady.”

Winifred and Jay Richard Bailey married in 1940. Their one child, Paul Bailey, was born 18 years later. Winifred became a homemaker and enjoyed her time raising their son, Paul.

Winifred had always been very active and loved to take walks and play ping-pong, which she did into her 90s.

“She was a really good ping-pong player – she could beat us all, grandkids, everyone” her son, Paul, said. “We’d get excited when we beat her.”

She had a great sense of humor and was a delight to be around, a Pioneers Home friend said.

She traveled extensively, including trips to Switzerland and Japan, and  lived in Hawaii, California and Alaska, coming to Alaska in March 2012 when her son began work on the Alaska Marine Highway.

She moved to Sitka in October 2013 where she joined the Sitka Pioneers Home family. She quickly became integrated into the goings on around the home where she particularly loved to play bingo and Rummikub. And music always made her smile.

Winifred was preceded in death by her husband, who died after a fall in 1990.

She is survived by her son, Paul Bailey now of Sequim, Wash.; grandsons Ian of Burlington, Vt., Matthew of Flagstaff, Ariz., and Charles of Portland, Ore.; granddaughter Malia of North Carolina; and three great-grandchildren.

Martha Cline Peed

Martha Cline Peed passed away on Aug. 20, 2017, at Peppi’s House Hospice in Tucson, Ariz., with her family, friends, and faithful dog by her side. She was 75. 

Martha, and her twin sister, Marian, were born in Sandusky, Ohio, on Nov. 6, 1941, the daughters of Paul W. and Margaret S. (Seymour) Peed. They were raised in a house filled with love, music and conversation, and a proud Scottish heritage.

At an early age, Martha fell in love with the works of William Shakespeare and poetry. She also fell in love with the Samoyed dog breed, and often said “There is no dog in the world like a Samoyed.”

Martha came to Sitka in 1993 to live with her partner Molly. She took many classes at UAS, volunteered as an AARP Tax Aide, sold “Rafting Sea Otters” posters and other photos at Baranof Arts & Crafts Association and Old Harbor Books, studied the humpback whale populations of Southeast Alaska, had a one-month fill-in job at the Sitka Sentinel, and worked at Kettleson Memorial Library.

She discovered the benefits of moisture wicking socks and merino wool sweaters while living in Sitka.

Martha attended schools in Lima,  Ohio, and Indianapolis, Ind., graduating in 1959 from Warren, Pa., high school. She received a bachelor’s degree in English and community recreation in 1964 from Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, and a  master’s in environmental education in 1987 from Michigan State Graduate Education Overseas program.

Martha believed in “lifelong education” and took coursework at 14 different colleges and universities. 

Throughout her life, she lived by the philosophy of “each one teach one.” 

During college, Martha had a summer job as the nature director for special needs campers at Camp Cornplanter in McKean County, Pa. She loved how the campers were fascinated with the simple beauty of nature. After college she taught a semester at Hartford, Conn., high school and then joined the Peace Corps. After several months of training at the Experiment in International Living in Brattleboro Vt., and labor and delivery training at Boston Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Martha was assigned from 1964 to 1966 in Goiana and Recife, Brazil. She started as a Visitadora Medica who went out into the Favelas to give vaccinations and assist in birthing babies, and then, with Roberta Lange, started Acampamento Jangada in Recife. Each Peace Corps Volunteer worked with local counterparts in outlying towns in the state of Pernambuco to select children for the week-long camp sessions. The Volunteers had to find a way to make camp clothes and swimsuits and arrange for transportation (sometimes a 14-hour ride over primitive roads). It was the first time many of the children had ridden in a truck, swum in the ocean, seen a movie or gotten a short “tourist” flight in an airplane.

Martha truly loved Brazil and the music, especially Bossa Nova. She sang and played her guitar with Brazilians and fellow Volunteers, and wrote several original songs in Portuguese. 

After Brazil, Martha traveled with friends by jeep, train, boxcar, bus and boat from Recife to Rio de Janeiro, Corumba, Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, La Paz, Lake Titicaca, Cusco, Machu Picchu and Lima to Guayaquil, Ecuador. After a month there, they hitched a ride with the Ecuadorian Navy on a WWII landing craft to the Galápagos Islands. 

After returning to the U.S., Martha wanted to “give back” to her community, and for six years taught English literature to 9th graders at Beaty Junior High School in Warren, Pa. She sponsored a bus trip each year for the English Club to see Shakespeare plays in Stratford, Ontario, with a stop at Niagara Falls, N.Y. In 1968 and 1971, she sponsored the 9th graders on summer study abroad trips to Europe. 

From 1972 to 1993, Martha taught English literature, health, and physical education at Frankfurt American High School in Frankfurt, Germany, with the U.S. Department of Defense Dependent Schools. She coached volleyball, and sponsored several activities including cheerleaders.

She traveled around Europe and to Egypt, Israel, Hawaii, Kenya, Australia, and Churchill, Manitoba. She loved to ski and chaperoned students on ski weeks at St Veit im Pongau, Austria. She met many wonderful students and colleagues in Frankfurt and felt honored to be their teacher and friend.

In 1981, Martha met Molly on a Veterans Day ski trip to Schnalstal, Italy. After several months of more ski trips, sailing trips, dinners, and movies, they decided they were “MFEO - Made For Each Other.” They became life partners, had a lot of fun, traveled to some incredible places, met fascinating people, shared the love of a number of exceptional pets, and loved watching good movies together. They told each other every day how lucky they were.

After 18 years in Sitka, Martha moved with Molly and dog Clark Kent to Tucson. She was happy to wake up to the blue sky, sunshine, and palm trees every day.

In 2013, Martha was diagnosed with endometrial cancer. She received wonderful treatment from the caring doctors, nurses, and staff at Arizona Oncology in Tucson, Tucson Medical Center and Peppi’s House Hospice.

In March 2017, Martha qualified for a clinical trial which combined the use of Lenvima and Keytruda. She was excited to qualify for the trial because she knew the information gained would help future cancer patients. In one last example of “each one teach one,” her sister Marian and Molly made a Whole Body Donation of Martha to Science Care to help advance medical science and give hope to future generations. 

Martha was preceded in death by her parents, Paul and Margaret Peed, her good friend Toby Erdmann, uncles and aunts, six Samoyeds, and many more loving pets. 

Martha is survived by her twin sister Marian P. Weisz of Watertown, N.Y; her partner of more than 35 years Molly Murphy of Tucson;her best friend from Warren High, Violet B. Wendl (Joe) of Tucson; her faithful Samoyed of 9 years Clark Kent of Tucson; her cousins Margaret Iversen (Larry) of Bremerton, Wash., and Ronald Simmermacher of Everett, Wash.; many cousins in Ohio, and her very good Peace Corps friends Suzanne Kelly of Ashland, Maine; Dorme’ (Larry) James of Mesa, Ariz.; and Mary M. Bek of Greendale, Wis.

No memorial services are planned at this time. At the time of Martha’s passing, family and friends read aloud their favorites poems and passages. Family and close friends will scatter Martha’s ashes at Niagara Falls next summer. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Martha’s memory online at tmcfoundation.org, Donate Now, Designation of “Hospice Services/Peppi’s House,” Tribute “In Memory” of Martha Peed, with funds designated for the construction of a dog park named “Clark’s Corner.” Donations by check can be mailed to TMC Foundation, Peppi’s House Hospice, In Memory of Martha Peed, 5301 E Grant Road, Tucson AZ 85712. 

“Goodnight, sweet Martha, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”

Jim Moffit

Former Sitka resident Jim Moffit, of Enterprise, Ore., passed away Sept. 23, 2017, at the age of 73.

He was born Aug. 14, 1944, in California, but grew up and went to school in La Grande, Ore.

Jim had a passion for the outdoors even as a young boy in Oregon. He loved to hunt, fish, camp and hike mountains.  He was able to work in the outdoors for the majority of his career with the U.S. Forest Service in scenic places he enjoyed exploring.

Jim and his wife Judy were married  for 51 years, and lived mainly in Alaska, raising their daughter and experiencing many adventures. They were in Sitka in the 1970s and 1980s, then moved back to Ketchikan and Thorne Bay. After he was diagnosed with cancer they relocated to Oregon to be closer to their daughter and family, and his medical care.

Jim built beautiful canoes, was a wonderful storyteller, an avid reader, and took great care in all that he did.

“He will be missed by the many people whose lives he touched,” his family said. “The fires he carefully built for many hot dog roasts over the years will warm all of our hearts in his memory.”

Jim is survived by his wife Judy,  and his daughter Lindy Thomas, his son-in-law Jon, and his granddaughter Keira, of Portland, Ore.

Per his wishes, a memorial is planned later to celebrate his life and to spread his ashes in the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon.

Percy Hope

Services for Percy Hope, a lifelong Alaskan, will be held 10:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 16, at the Sitka Pioneers Home Chapel, located on the Home’s second floor.

A reception will follow.

Percy died Oct. 8 at the Home. He was 87 – which was surprising, because  part of his youth was spent in a tuberculosis sanitarium.

He was born in Sitka, the 10th child of Andrew Percy and Tillie (Howard) Hope. He was a quiet man, probably due to the isolation of living in a TB sanitarium from age 10 to 16 instead of in a house full of siblings.

Growing up, he went fishing with his dad and brothers on the boat Neva,  which his father, a master boatbuilder,  had built. Chatham cannery was open then.

Percy graduated from Sheldon Jackson school, and later received vocational training in office machines. He worked at Capital Office Supply in Juneau, and enjoyed traveling to various cities in the lower 48 to receive advanced training in office machinery.

He later worked as manager of the ANB Hall in Juneau. Coincidentally, the hall was in what was then the Andrew Hope Building, named after his father.

Percy was a Raven from the Kiksadi clan. Following the Hope family tradition, he was very active in tribal groups and organizations, and was a lifelong member of the Alaska Native Brotherhood.

Percy spent his last years living in senior housing in Juneau before moving to the Sitka Pioneers Home when he developed macular degeneration eye disease.

He was happy to be back home in Sitka, where he had grown up.

Percy will be missed by his Juneau friends, co-workers and family, and in Sitka by his real family and his Pioneer Home family.

James Allen Sackett Sr.

James Allen Sackett Sr., a longtime Sitka resident, died Oct. 11 at Petersburg Medical Center. He was 75.
Memorial services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 20, at the Petersburg Salvation Army.
James was born to Hyrom Sackett and Joyce Martin Sackett on Nov. 21, 1941, in Aberdeen, Wash., one of six siblings.
He belonged to the Salish and Blackfoot tribe of Montana.
His career in life was logging in Alaska. He came to Sitka from Petersburg in the mid 1980s, and had returned to Petersburg only recently.
He loved fishing and hunting in the Alaska wilderness. He was instrumental in gun safety and fishing skills he shared with his children.
He is survived by his children,  James Sackett Jr. of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, son Timothy Bauman of Kelsco, Wash., and daughters Tracee Heumiller and Elizabeth Stroud of South Dakota; and grandchildren Madison, Layla, Aaron and Evan Stroud, and Cletus and Earl Heumiller all residing in South Dakota.
Condolences and cards may be mailed to Elizabeth Stroud, c/o Box 1493 Petersburg, Alaska 99833.

Agnes Isabel (Parent) Harrison

Lifelong Alaska resident Agnes Isabel (Parent) Harrison passed away peacefully Sept. 16, 2017, at the Alaska Native Medical Center. She was 88.

She was born on May 30, 1929, to Denis and Massa Parent. Her father owned and ran the trading post in Crooked Creek, on the Kuskokwim River. On advice of her grandmother she studied the white man’s language until she attained proficiency in communicating in English, using this skill throughout her life to advocate for the Native people of Alaska both privately and publicly . 

After 8th grade she moved to Anchorage to work and attend high school. She quickly learned that Natives coming from the villages would be arrested and jailed for being “indigent” because they had no money when they arrived. So, when she earned her first dollar she took it to the bank and exchanged it for 100 pennies. She then proceeded to give a penny to every Native person she met who was new to Anchorage, so they would not be arrested. 

In the early 1950’s she received a baccalaureate degree in education at Western Washington College of Education in Bellingham, married Wallace Harrison, and started her career and family in Alakanuk, Alaska. She taught in both English and Yupik at a time it was against school policy to speak Native languages. She was described as being sharp minded and driven to do everything she could so her students would live better lives, teaching children during the day and adults in evening classes. She also served as village magistrate.

The family later moved to Bethel, Fairbanks and, in 1963, Anchorage, where she lived the rest of her life. 

She tirelessly promoted Native culture within community schools and organizations, serving on the Greater Anchorage Area Community Action Agency at a time when multiple community services and programs were being developed. She was also a successful advocate for Native hiring policies within Atlantic Richfield Company, where she worked as a personnel specialist. She once said her life spanned “the Stone Age to the Space Age”, where in childhood her grandmother would put a wooden box on the ground so she could mount the family mule; and later in life was flown in an ARCO company jet throughout Alaska and the Arctic as a good-will ambassador, reinforcing Native language and culture.

She worked for the Alaska National Guard and the ANTHC’s Division of Environmental Health and Engineering. She continued working full-time until her third retirement last year at the age of 86.

In 1949 she became the first person of Native Alaskan ancestry to become a member of the Bahá’í Faith while living in Alaska. Throughout life she respected the beliefs of others, and focused on commonalities as a higher value than differences. 

A small service was held at the graveside at Anchorage Memorial Park where she is now buried. 

Aggie is survived by daughter Gai Harrison, sons Denis and Kosmos Harrison, three grandsons, four granddaughters, two great-grandsons, and three great-granddaughters. An infant daughter, Jorene Michelle, preceded her in death. 

See complete obituary online at: https://tinyurl.com/AgnesHobit. 

Bruce Mathews

Former resident Bruce Mathews died peacefully at his home in Pencil Bluff, Arkansas, on Oct. 17, with his family by his side. He was 90.

He was born July 26, 1927, to Carson and Etta Hayes Mathews in Felsenthal, Arkansas.

He joined the Merchant Marines as a stewards mate in 1943 and graduated from the U.S. Maritime Service Training in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1945. He was a merchant mariner for an additional eight and a half years and from 1953 to 1955 he served in the U.S. Army, stationed in Whittier, Alaska.

On July 4, 1953, he married Ruth Bidwell in New York City, New York.

He lived in Alaska for 44 years, in Sitka, Bethel, Glennallen, Anchorage and King Salmon, working in the communications industry.

He retired in 1997 and moved back to his home state of Arkansas to be closer to his brother and sisters, and to get out of the cold in Alaska.

Preceding him in death were his parents; his wife, Ruth Bidwell Mathews; daughter Connie Beckman; grandson, Joshua Beach; brothers M.C., Pete, Fletcher, Dillard, Cordell and Jerry Mathews; and sister Virginia Perryman.

Those left to cherish his memory are his son, Ronald Mathews (Kathryn); daughters, Janet Julsen (Kurt), Debbie Mathews, Joyce Gilmore, and Geri Beach (Michael Eells); grandchildren, Cory and Joseph Call, Brian and Mariah Julsen, Heidi and Zachary Mathews, Jynal Radziukinas, Joshua and Brent Kimzey, Ashley Allison, Paolo, and Antonio and Corrado Gilmore; and numerous great-grandchildren.

The funeral was scheduled today at  Young’s Chapel in El Dorado, Arkansas, with Ron Mathews officiating.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to a local hospice.

An online guest registry is available at www.youngsfuneralhome.com.

Victoria Taprine Moats

Services have been scheduled for Victoria Taprine Moats, who died Sept. 23, 2017, in Pahoa, Hawaii, at age 37.

The service will be 11 a.m. Nov. 4 at Puna Sure Foundation, 16-1592 Pohaku Circle, the corner of Pohaku and Pahoa Highway. A reception will follow at the home of her grandmother, Joyce Davis. Aloha attire will be welcome

Her ashes will be interred in Sitka.

Taprine was born Oct. 27, 1979, in Ketchikan, and graduated from Juneau High. While in Juneau, she and her mother, Melanie Moats, raised 35 foster children. While growing up, Taprine often spent summers in Sitka with her grandmother.

Taprine received a degree in nursing from Mid-America Nazarene University in Olathe, Kansas. She loved being a pediatric critical care nurse at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City, then at Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage.

She worked as a traveling nurse from Alaska to Hawaii when she settled in Pahoa with her son Skyler, in 2014.

Taprine loved to travel, and she shared her smile across the United States, Honduras, Guatemala, Tahiti and Scotland. She never met a stranger, and loved children, family, gardening and a good book. But the love of her life was her son, Skyler, age 4.

Taprine is survived by her son, Skyler Moats, and mother Melanie Moats (Mike) of Pahoa; her father, Michael Hurst (Sarah) of Phoenix; brother Casey Moats of Anchorage; sisters Brianna Hurst, of Phoenix and Jennifer Ruhl of Kansas; grandmother Joyce Davis of Pahoa; aunts Susan Hurst, Elida Horn and Kathleen Dapcevich; uncle David Hurst; and many foster siblings.

Condolences may be sent to Melanie Moats, Rural Route 3, Box 1357, Pahoa, HI 96778.

“Jada” Katherine Mona Smith

A series of services for “Jada” Katherine Mona Smith will begin with a memorial 6:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at the Sitka Salvation Army. A dinner will follow;  dessert and snack donations welcome. 

A memorial will then be held 6 p.m. Nov. 10 at the Juneau Salvation Army. A coffeetime will follow; dessert and snack donations welcome.

In Kake, funeral services for Jada will begin Nov. 12 with a singspiration in the evening. A coffeetime will be held during the gathering; dessert and snack donations welcome. At 6 p.m. Nov. 13 a memorial service will be held at the Kake Community Hall. A coffeetime will follow; dessert and snack donations welcome.

A funeral will be 2 p.m. Nov. 14 at Kake Community Hall followed by a community dinner at 5 p.m. It will be a Native foods potluck and dinner and desserts and donations are welcome.

Jada walked into the forest 12:10 p.m. Oct. 28, surrounded by her family and friends after a sudden illness. She was 73. Her family, clan, friends and community greatly appreciate the outpouring of love and support during this incredibly difficult time.

Jada was Tlingit and Haida of Keex Kwaan (Kake), and lived in Sitka the latter part of her life. On her Tlingit side she was Raven Kaach.adi, freshwater marked sockeye salmon. On her Haida side she was Eagle hummingbird of the Tiits git nei people. Her Tlingit name was Ee Kahnx Klen and her Haida name was Xulh kii wil duens. She was born Feb. 1, 1944, in Petersburg, the oldest daughter of Thomas and Mona (Ingram/Frank) Jackson, originally of Haida Gwaii and Hydaburg before marrying Tommy.

She attended Kake elementary school. Because of studious habits she graduated early from Sheldon Jackson School in May 1961. Her plan was to attend college in South Dakota but met the love of her life, Henry “Chana” Thomas Smith. They married Dec. 20, 1962, and started a family soon after.

In her younger years, she was employed by Keku Canning Company. Jada’s desire for helping others led her to work at the Kake Senior Center, assisting the Elders of her community where her infectious laughter and cheerful disposition were much loved. She also worked at the clinic in Kake where she was employed by SEARHC to provide social services, assisting with alcohol and drug prevention and family services.

“We don’t know how many lives she touched, but we see it in the love she received back from all who spent time with her,” her family said.

Jada was a woman of faith, a prayer warrior, and a woman of service. Her passions included volunteering with the Salvation Army and playing piano – one of her greatest gifts and blessings – and she shared time and time again for the community, for families in need of spiritual music to help hold them up.

She was an incredible beadwork artist, and loved crocheting and knitting, too. Jada was renowned for her delicious breadmaking, especially her “Big Brown Buns” as she liked to call them.

Her joyful storytelling and inspirational leadership were a testament to her devotion in God. Her steadfastness to family led to her rearing and babysitting many of her grandchildren. She inspired and taught her grandchildren her love of music and baking. Anyone who knew Jada knew her grandchildren were her pride and joy; she always cherished each and every one of them.

She was known by all for her empathy, compassion, and her famous quote “no one cries alone in my presence.”

She was a role model who taught all to be kind, respectful, and loving. She showed that sharing laughter and affection were the best medicine. Her love of her culture and peoples resonated through her teachings on how to harvest and prepare foods off the land.

She was known for her famous Kake seaweed and her food sales during community events. One of her favorite pastimes was going on long rides out the road, soaking up time with her family. People looked forward to seeing her, knowing they’d receive one of the best hugs – she made everyone feel like they were so special. She had an incredible way of telling stories interjecting humor, drama, and suspense. One of her best qualities was her ability to start telling a joke and mid story start laughing so hard she’d forget the punchline and make everyone around her start laughing too.

It’s no surprise that another favorite quote about Jada is “laughter through tears was her favorite emotion.”

“She has left an enormous hole in all of our hearts and we are grateful to all who have been standing beside us catching our tears,” her family said.

Jada was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; brothers Thomas “Squirt” Jackson Jr., Norman Jackson, Loren Jackson Sr., Gary Jackson and Myron Jackson; and sister, Cheryl Evan. She was also preceded in death by grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

She is survived by sons Henry Jr. (wife Bonnie) of Wasilla, Tony (wife Delphine) of Kake, Garrett (wife Jean), and Michael (wife Sarah); daughters, Sonya and Karlee of Sitka; adopted sons Lonny Tucker (wife Lonna) of Kenai and Anthony Gastelum (wife Georgie) of Kake, newly adopted daughter Noel Evans (husband Michael) of New Mexico.

She is also survived by her brothers, Michael (wife Edna), Joel (wife Ann, deceased), Lawrence (wife Ellie) of Kake; sister Della Cheney (husband William) of Kake and Juneau; adopted brothers, Lary (wife Velma) Schafer of Fairbanks, Dave Arthur of Georgia, Paul Aceveda (wife Marcia) of Kake who grew up close with Tommy and Mona’s children; and adopted sisters Renee Kadake of Kake, Sharon Valdez of Oregon, and Mary Ortiz of Arizona.

She is also survived by her Auntie Lena Skeek of Kake and her Uncle Raymond “Shawaan” Jackson of Kake and Sitka. Jada is also survived by her 16 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and many cousins, nieces and nephews, and numerous brothers and sisters in faith, clan and friendship.

Joseph (Joe) P. Anderson

Joseph (Joe) P. Anderson went to be with his Lord on Nov. 2, 2017, at Providence Hospital in Anchorage, after a long struggle with several medical conditions. He was 72.
Joe was born Jan. 9, 1945, in Olympia, Wash., to Gaylord and Geraldine Davis. After graduating from high school, he served in the U.S. Air Force.
Over the years Joe wore many hats: he volunteered for the Black Lake Fire Department in Black Lake, Wash., was a Teamster, a truck driver, a logger and a carpenter.
He came to Alaska in the early 1970s to work on the oil pipeline, and in 1976, he moved his family to Sitka, where he worked for the State of Alaska Housing Authority
He absolutely loved Alaska. After leaving Sitka in 1989 he moved to Fairbanks, where he continued working until medical conditions prevented it. He lived in Wasilla for nine years then moved to Anchorage in about 2002.
Joe was a Little League coach while in Sitka. He also enjoyed fishing, hunting, hiking, jogging, and telling jokes.
Joe is survived by the mother of his five children, ex-wife Judy Anderson-Martin of Benton City, Wash., his daughters Cindy (Darrell Blankenship) Rochester, Wash., Angie (Jim Goertler)  of West Richland, Wash., and his son Nick Anderson (Tina) Sitka.
Joe had seven grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. He helped raise one of his grandchildren as if she were his own, Jami Russert Walker (Anthony), Fife, Wash.
He was preceded in death by his parents Gaylord and Geraldine; his sister Marion Gross; his brother Bud Hendrickson; and his two sons Jimmy and Jeff.
“God saw that you were tired
When a cure was not to be
So he wrapped his arms around you
And whispered “Come to me”
You didn’t deserve what you went through
So he gave you rest
God’s garden must be beautiful
He only takes the best
And when I saw you sleeping
So peaceful and free of pain
I could not wish you back to suffer that again.”
Joe has joined the heavenly All-star baseball team with his two sons.
“Dad, you are loved and will be sorely missed,” his family said.
Joe’s ashes will be scattered in Alaska. No memorial service is planned.

Milton Leroy Hunt

Milton Leroy Hunt, a former Sitka resident, passed away Oct. 31, 2017, at his home in Hayden, Idaho. He was 70.
    He was born Nov. 23, 1946, in Eugene, Ore., where he also attended school.
    After graduating from high school he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1965 and served two tours of duty in Viet Nam. During his first tour he was wounded by a rifle grenade and received the Purple Heart medal. After recovering he was sent back for his second tour.
    During his military service he was head of weapons training. He was honorably discharged in 1969 as a sergeant, and moved to Sitka where his parents lived.
    He had many jobs, including on the North Slope, at Alaska Pulp Corp., in construction, for Arrowhead Transfer, and at the Moose Lodge.
    He lived in Sitka for 35 years and considered it his “home.”
    He loved his country, family, hunting and fishing.
    After moving to Hayden in 2002, his yard and Christmas decorations were top on his list, along with his family.
    He was a good friend to all, and was always willing to help.
    He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Sandra Hunt; sons Jim Koehn and wife Kristi of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Byron Hunt of Sitka; grandsons Trevor Koehn of Spokane, Wash., Tyler Koehn of Coeur d’Alene, Jason Koehn of Coeur d’Alene and Hayden Hunt of Sitka; sister-in-law Charline Griffin of Sitka; great-grandaughters Astraea Koehn and Alitheea Koehn of Spokane; and niece Tricia Jeske of Anchorage.
    Three nephews, two aunts, an uncle and five cousins also survive.
    In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions in memory of Milton Hunt to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 50, Memphis, TN 38101-9929.
    Burial will be at Sitka National Cemetery in the spring.

Levi Charles Laurence Shearer

Life long resident, Levi Charles Laurence Shearer passed away in his home on November 15th, 2017. He was born February 11th, 1991, the eldest son to Christian Didrickson and Julie Shearer. Levi attended Sitka Unified School District. He played basketball for the Sitka High School Wolves and graduated class of 2009. Levi enjoyed cooking, playing basketball, reading, playing video games, and rooting on his favorite football team the Broncos. Family was very important to Levi and he loved spending time with them. He had a close bond with his grandfather, Gerald Didrickson, and was dedicated to taking care of him until Gerald passed away in 2014.
Levi was preceded in death by his mother: Julie Shearer; maternal great-grandparents: Marie and John Cooper, maternal grandfather: Sam Shearer; paternal grandparents; Gerald and Karen Didrickson; grand-uncles: Donald “Duck” and Boyd Didrickson.
Levi is survived by his beloved cat, Governor; his younger brother: Mason Shearer; father: Christian Didrickson; paternal Aunties: Vanessa and Deanne Didrickson. Maternal grandparents: Sharon and Frank Joseph; maternal aunts: Kari, Skye, and Zeylinn Joseph; as well as many loving cousins and friends.
A Celebration of Life in honor of Levi will be held at ANB Hall (235 Katlian St, Sitka, AK) on Friday, November 24th, 2017 from 10am to 5pm. The family will be hosting breakfast, lunch, and an early dinner serving all of Levi’s favorite meals. Community members, family, and friends are all encouraged to come eat and share fond memories and stories to celebrate Levi. Condolences or memorial donations for the family may be sent to Mason Shearer at PO BOX 900, Sitka, AK 99835. Please contact Mason Shearer with any inquiries at (907) 738-4137.

Bruce Ryan Christianson

Bruce Ryan Christianson traveled to the far country Nov. 20, 2017, surrounded by six women: wife, mothers, sisters, friends and his daughter nearby.
He was born Nov. 6, 1966, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Not long after, his days of wandering began. He tried to grow up in the small farming community of Alma Center, Wisconsin, and his path was never easy, nor paved.  Many coaches, family members (both birth and chosen), teachers and other mentors were there to kick his butt back in the direction of the path forward when he wavered. This meant occupying much of his time by playing basketball, attempting to play baseball, somehow landing on the track team, coaching, fishing, playing trombone and farming.
After graduating from Lincoln High School in 1984, Bruce attended several colleges.  His toe-walking feet carried him through Mount Senario College (Ladysmith, Wisconsin), up to Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka on a basketball scholarship, to the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, and finally Eastern Montana State University.  The last two colleges are still around and many Blockbuster video stores will be frustrated to learn that they will never recover their late fees.
In his earlier Sitka years, Bruce worked for Service Transfer. He was also an active member of the Men’s Sitka Softball League playing for STA, the Legion, Carpet to Counters, Middle Island Brewers, House of Liquor and Allen Marine, where he made many a good and lasting friend and a lot of nicknames, including the Wanderer, Hayseed and Cheese-Butt.
Bruce returned to Alaska in his hastily packed Isuzu P’up in 1994.  His fateful decision to return to Sitka allowed him to finally grow up and become the strong, compassionate, caring man that he was.
His return to Alaska ultimately allowed him to find his center and the love of his life.  He and Kert first met on the Matanuska. They spent the winter preparing to sign teaching contracts somewhere in the state. Bruce signed with Bering Strait School District that spring and arrived in Gambell in August, where he lived in the old weather station house without running water for the school year, a place from which he really could see Russia from his door on a clear day.  He loved the idea that he’d exhausted both north and west and would likely have stayed there.
Bruce and Kert moved around to different districts throughout the state, loving, living, bantering and teaching in Gambell, Kenai, Soldotna, Juneau and Barrow. They married wearing their best Birkenstocks under the net-mending shelter at Crescent Harbor in 1998.
They returned to Sitka in 2003 where they had purchased a home while still teaching in Barrow.  Bruce taught for several years at Sitka High School before moving across the bridge to teach at Mt. Edgecumbe High School.  He would often joke that this simple transition fulfilled a “prenuptial agreement” that he would someday return to teach in rural Alaska.
Bruce was a fine educator who enjoyed working with students and faculty on both sides of the bridge.  He tucked in close the hardships, challenges, celebrations and successes of young people.
Bruce effortlessly took on his most natural role yet in 2006 when he became a dad to Rie Margaret Christianson.  The first song he sang to her upon her birth was “Blackbird,” hence her nickname “Bird.”  He became the shadow to her sun and the two were largely inseparable, in recent years partaking in spring road trips and Major League Baseball games, namely those of the Milwaukee Brewers.
A lover of adventure, Bruce spent two summers traveling the length of the Yukon River from Whitehorse to Wales on the Bering Sea in a small Zodiac with his black Lab, Olie, and friends from Barrow.  He mined gold during summers in the Fortymile with his father-in-law Greg Overturf.  He traveled to Iceland with friend Gloria Luchinetti in 2013.  Twenty summers of traveling in Canada, including a few round trips along the Trans Canada from Vancouver to St. John’s, Newfoundland, and more recent winter trips and extended stays in the Yukon once again set Bruce’s compass north.  There, and in his element, he could follow the wind along desolate stretches of road, turn his gifted photographer’s eye to the landscapes, wild animals and his family that all gave him such joy.
Bruce is survived by his wife, Kersten (Kert) Christianson, and daughter Rie Christianson; his sisters and their spouses, April Christianson and Mike Thompson  (Anchorage) and Vikki and Mike Graham (Lake Forest, Ill.); his parents Rolf and Gayla Jean Christianson (Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin); brothers-in-law and partners Paul Overturf & Nicchia Leamer (Juneau), and Spencer Overturf and Angelina Rubio; parents-in-law Greg and Sharon Overturf; along with beloved nieces and nephews Layla, Evie, Ryan, Jack, Mick, BriAnna, Aliyah, Cole and Everett.
He also is survived by multiple, self-proclaimed adopted brothers with whom he’s shared housing, drink, rounds of Scrabble, endless Whiffle ball games, shirts, and memorable conversations.
Let it be known he loved his wife and daughter perfectly, as they loved him.  They will always seek and find him in his favorite wild places:  the Kluane, the glitter of snow, the Tutshi, in sundogs and sucker holes, over a pint of Guinness at the Westminster in Dawson City, along the meandering caribou trails at the Top of the World, in the iridescence of raven’s wing and the sun’s orange glow in its drop behind Mt. Edgecumbe.

“The physical domain of the country had its counterpart in me. The trails I made led outward into the hills and swamps, but they led inward also. And from the study of things underfoot, and from reading and thinking, came a kind of exploration, myself and the land. In time, the two became one in my mind. With the gathering force of an essential thing realizing itself out of early ground, I faced in myself a passionate and tenacious longing—to put away all thought forever, and all the trouble it brings, all but the nearest desire, direct and searching. To take the trail and not look back. Whether on foot, on snowshoes or by sled, into the summer hills and their late freezing shadows—a high blaze, a runner track in the snow would show where I had gone. Let the rest of mankind find me if it could.”   ― John Haines

A celebration of life is planned 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi House. Frends are welcome to bring an appetizer to share, if able, and Bruce stories.  Anyone who wants to speak, tell a Bruce story, or just visit in the spirit of friendship and community is welcome to attend.  Concurrently, friends and family are gathering to celebrate Bruce at 4 p.m. at the Double Barrel in Alma Center, Wisconsin.
The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, donations in Bruce’s name be made to the nonprofit journal, Alaska Women Speak, P.O. Box 15225 Fritz Creek, Alaska 99603-6225.