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Beau Jaklitsch
1983-2006
Beau Dane Jaklitsch, “a good kid with a big heart, ” lost his courageous battle with Cystic Fibrosis on Easter Sunday, April 16, 2006 in a Los Angeles hospital.
Jaklitsch, who grew up in Skagway, had received a double lung transplant earlier in the month and did well for 10 days – even getting to where he could walk up and down two flights of stairs – but he suffered a setback and his body rejected the lungs.
Many in Skagway had donated to a fund to help Beau and his family, and his death at such a young age, just 22, has been difficult for his many friends here.
The lung transplant was “the light at the end of the tunnel, ” said his father, Steve. They had been inspired by other CF survivors. A 28-year-old girl who had a transplant in the past two years “gave us food when she probably couldn’t afford it, ” Steve said, and they knew of other CF transplant survivors in their late 30s and one in his 50s.
Beau was born on June 17, 1983 in Juneau and spent his elementary school years in Skagway. When he was three, he was diagnosed with the disease, and his mom Meri and dad held annual “Bowl For Breath” fund-raisers for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in town. “Skagway has always been very supportive, ” Steve said.
The early prognosis was not good, but the Cystic Fibrosis gene was isolated, and progress with transplants and new drug therapy starting giving CF patients hope for living beyond childhood. Beau fought on through the daily thumps on his back to clear his lungs of mucous.
“He never complained once, ” Steve said. “All he’d say when he had to go to the hospital was ‘this sucks.’”
During junior high, Beau divided time between Skagway and Bellingham, Wash., and then completed high school in Bellingham. He would spend summers in Skagway, working for his dad’s gallery and at the city visitor center, where he spent several hours counting all 8, 833 sticks on A.B. Hall so there would be an accurate count for a contest.
His dad introduced him to canoeing at a young age, and one trip was all it took to hook Beau. They paddled several Yukon rivers, including the Nisutlin where on a magical night they looked out their tent and saw wolves sniffing where father and son had “marked” their spots.
Beau moved to Southern California in February 2005, and he’d ride around on his motorcycle with his oxygen bottle on his back. Beau had been taking college courses in business with the dream of setting up a drive-through coffee place in L.A.
Beau is survived by his father, Steve, of Skagway, and mother Meri of Bellingham. As he wished, his ashes will be spread at Upper Dewey Lake.
A friend, Rory Lamb, of Bellingham, also submitted the following memory of Beau:
“Losing Beau was like losing my brother. We were so close throughout our entire friendship that began in the sixth grade. I’ve never laughed so hard and so much with any other.... That’s what I loved so much about him, his sense of humor. He always shed light on any situation. And whenever I felt I was going through tough times, Beau brought me back to my senses and instilled his blessing.
“I sometimes took for granted my health. Especially this last year, Beau was fighting an extremely tough battle with CF, 24 hours a day. CONSTANTLY. He never had a break and I admired his strength and courage. He took it like a champ who would fall but get right back up. He’s a champion in my eyes, and I miss him so much right now. And for the rest of my time here, I will remember my best friend, Beau Dane Jaklitsch, my hero who fought so hard, and loved his friends and family so much. A true friend, the greatest friend you could ask for. I miss you homie.” – Compiled by Jeff Brady with the family
Anna True
1924-2006
Long-time Skagway resident Anna True died May 4, 2006 at her home in Indio, Calif.
She was born October 10, 1924 to Alexander and Elizabeth Gabel in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Anna worked in Whitehorse during World War Two and later at Bennett eating house where she met and, after one date, married railroader J.D. True of Skagway. She returned to work at Bennett after the honeymoon trip to Whitehorse riding in the engine with JD while he shoveled coal into the boiler. After a couple weeks the train crews put JD up to writing her a letter to please quit and come live with him in Skagway. That was the beginning of her love for Skagway.
She was a member of the Order of Eastern Star and the Ladies Auxiliary of the Fraternal Order of Eagles.
Anna was instrumental in getting the early cruise ships to stay in Skagway longer, by working with her fellow members at FOE No. 25 putting on the original Days of ‘98 show. She worked tirelessly making sure there would be enough cast to put on the show, making sure volunteers had babysitters, plus many hours every year training cancan dancers.
She held many jobs over the years, waiting tables at Patterson’s restaurant, clerking at the power company, and working at the F & F store, Dedman’s and Keller’s. She drove taxi and bartended for Moe’s.
Anna was preceded in death by her husband on Sept. 18, 2000. She had lived with her daughter, Lynda and husband Manuel Lamas, since December 2001, after surviving cancer and open-heart surgery. They took her to live in Mexico where she recuperated on papaya and enjoyed the tropical life until 2005 when they returned to live in Indio.
She loved Skagway more than anything and asked to go “home” often. She missed her coffee sessions at the Sweet Tooth and Corner Cafe, and F.O.E. No. 25.
Anna is survived by her daughter, Lynda and husband Manuel Lamas, of Indio, California; son Irven Dale True of Skagway; sister Ruth Rullman and husband Lloyd of Ocean Shores, Wash.; grandson, Jeff Hamilton, his wife, Joan Hamilton, and great grandchildren, Kyli, Andrea and Gregory Hamilton of Burlington, Wash.; grandsons Chris and Scott True of Skagway; and additional survivor, “adopted son” Richard White of Seattle.
– Submitted by Lynda Lou True
Erik A. Selmer
1934-2006
Former Skagway resident Erik Asbjorn Selmer, 71, died March 19, 2006, at his home in Anchorage.
Selmer was born Nov. 15, 1934, to Asbjorn and Elizabeth Selmer in Skagway. He graduated from Skagway High School in 1952.
He served in the U.S. Air Force 1956-1958 as a crash/rescue fireman and was stationed at Ladd and Eielson Air Force bases in Fairbanks.
He worked as a railroad engineer for the White Pass and Yukon Railroad during the time the railroad was transitioning from steam to diesel engines.
He used to say his higher education consisted of the time he spent on a Baldwin 2-8-2 Mikado steam locomotive, but his children most remember him running the General Electric Class 90 Diesel Electric engine. He also worked as an engineer with the Alaska Railroad in the 1970s and 1980s.
He was an accomplished bush pilot, having flown commercially in virtually every part of Alaska. He started Skagway Air Service about 1965, later partnered with and then sold out to Benny Lingle. He continued to fly for many other flying services throughout Alaska into the 1980s.
The family wrote: “He was an accomplished outdoorsman in his youth and was a registered Master Guide in Southeast Alaska during the early 1960s. He was a talented carpenter, woodworker and musician as well as an avid reader, especially of poetry, throughout his life. Friends will remember him for the many hours of entertaining music, stories and poetry that he loved to share with everyone.”
He is survived by four adult children, Brooke, Drake, Meredith and Tamara; and his special friend, Nancy Welch.
Tim Lannan
1950-2006
Long-time summer resident, tour guide and raconteur Timothy “Lone Wolf” Lannan, 55, died January 20, 2006 in Charleston, South Carolina. As a guide in Skagway, he worked for several companies, entertaining visitors, friends and strangers alike with his sharp wit and wry humor. He also conducted fly fishing tours for a time as owner of Lone Wolf Fishing. An animal lover, Tim was known to toss biscuits to area pets to the delight of the tourists.
Born in Philadelphia, Penn. on April 13, 1950, he was raised in Charleston. He was a member of the Notre Dame Club of Charleston and an avid football fan. Garrulous and out-going, Tim enjoyed hunting, fishing, ATV-ing, Harley Davidson motorcycles, and traveling the world, but mostly, telling stories and shooting the breeze.
He is survived by a beloved sister, Barbara Lannan, of Charleston, a niece, two nephews, and eight grand nieces and grand nephews.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Pet helpers, 1430 Folly Rd., Charleston, SC, 29412; or the SPCA Animal Shelter, 3861 Leeds Ave., N. Charleston, SC 29405.
Visit the guest book at www.charleston.net/deaths and pass on your favorite memories of Tim’s time here. A memorial service is planned for later this summer in Skagway. – Submitted by Jeanne Gonzalez
Inez Knorr passes
Life-long Skagway resident Inez Soldin Knorr died February 5, 2006 in California. During a family visit there, she was able to see her new great grand baby. Arrangements were pending this week, and a memorial service will be held when all of her family can be back in Skagway.
Barbara Fairbanks
1935-2005
Life-long Skagway resident Barbara Fairbanks died December 19, 2005 in a Forks, Washington nursing home after a long affliction with Alzheimer’s Disease.
A memorial service will be held this Saturday, January 14, at 1 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church.
For most of her adult life, until the disease took her away from Skagway, Barbara was in almost daily contact with everyone in the community. She was always around the checkout counters at the family’s Fairway Market, always willing to help customers until she could no longer work.
Barbara was born on March 28, 1935 at the old White Pass Hospital in Skagway. She was the youngest child of William and Gertrude Beitinger.
She was a bit of a tom boy growing up. She wore corduroy pants so often that everyone was shocked when she wore a dress to school one day, said her husband Ed.
She also had a mischievous streak and liked to “run with the Sullivans.” She’d tell her boys about taking all the keys out of the Army Jeeps in town during World War II, and how she kept money in her pockets by turning in Coke bottles to Harry Ask – repeatedly. A day after turning in a case of empty bottles for the 3-cents deposit, she’d grab the same bottles from Ask’s alley and sell them back to him. “He’d pay me three or four times for the same bottle, ” she would say.
Of course, Barbara grew up, and graduated from Skagway High in 1954. Ed, who was four years older, had met her in school and they had gone to dances and the movies together. “She said she chased me, I didn’t chase her, ” Ed said.
Ed graduated from college the same year Barbara graduated from high school, but he went off to work all over the Northwest as an engineer for a construction company. They would get together when he came back to Skagway and were married on December 22, 1959. Even though Ed still worked out of Seattle until 1964, Barbara preferred to stay home in Skagway and worked for her brother in-law Bill Feero’s tourist businesses, and the WP&YR in the offices and commissary.
After Ed’s father, who started the Fairway Market, passed away in 1960, Ed and his brother Leslie took over the business, and Barbara worked there too. Her pleasant smile greeted customers, and she helped many with their groceries – at all hours.
“She was always willing to go to the store for people after hours or holidays, ” said her husband of more thn 40 years. “She never turned anyone away. She always said, ‘If you need anything, call me. I’ve got the biggest pantry in town.’”
For fun, she loved to bowl at the Elks and go to tournaments with other women bowlers. She maintained a 175-180 per game average. She also was active in the Emblem Club. Her “B Fair” license plate told you who she was and how to live.
Barbara was afflicted with Alzheimer’s in the 1990s but was able to continue to work at the store until 1998. In 1999 she was moved to a Forks, Washington nursing facility, near her son Brian’s home.
Barbara is survived by her husband Ed; sons Brian of Forks, and Tim and Rod of Skagway; sister Beverly Feero of Skagway, and brother Jim Beitinger of Hawaii; grandsons Devin and Kyle of Skagway, and granddaughter Whitney of Forks.
She was preceded in death by brothers Donald and Gordon.
Memorial gifts may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association in several ways: clicking on the donations link at www.alz.org; calling the nationwide calling center at 1-800-272-3900; or by sending a check to Alzheimer’s Association National Office, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601.
Robert Messegee, Skagway mayor
1977-1982
Robert Messegee, Skagway Mayor from 1977 through 1982 passed away on March 10th in Olympia, Washington. If any mayor could be proclaimed a founding father of modern Skagway, it would be Bob Messegee. If any two words could describe Bob Messegeeís approach to governance, as well as to life, they would be innovation and risk.
Risk - Bob Messegee, a science teacher at the Skagway School, ran a last minute write-in campaign for mayor against a strong candidate with considerably more history in the community. His campaign was successful. His time at the helm had come.
Risk - Following the enactment of the Clean Water Act in the late 1970s, Skagway dutifully built a new sewage treatment plant to conform to the requirements of that act. The plant failed to perform as anticipated, and was an incredible financial burden to the community. Mayor Messegee initiated a challenge to EPA on the blanket imposition of the Clean Water Act and its impact on small communities. At one time during this challenge the council members of the time were held individually financially responsible for the failure of Skagway to comply, and threatened with the potential for incarceration. In the end, Skagway and other small communities won exemptions from the requirements for secondary treatment, saving these communities thousands of dollars while still protecting water quality of the state.
Innovation - Mayor Messegee was the first mayor to begin to shift the community away from its dependence upon the railroad as the mainstay of the economy. He pursued other avenues of economic development, focusing upon Tourism. It was under his leadership that the first Convention and Visitors Bureau was established.
Risk - Mayor Messegee broke a tie vote to hire a barefoot “hippie” from Dyea to become City Manager. He was instrumental in hiring a petty bureaucrat from Juneau with no real visitor industry skills to be Skagway’s first full time director of tourism. History will reveal the outcome of these decisions.
Innovation - Mayor Messegee built the first passive solar home in Skagway. By harnessing the power of the sun, the Messegee home consumed less than 2 cords of firewood per year for supplemental heat.
Innovation and Risk - In spite of a lack of maritime skills, Bob Messegee built a 53’ steel hulled sailboat in his front yard. On a cold and dreary day most of the town turned out to witness this vessel’s slow journey down Main Street to the small boat harbor, where she was christened the “Nereus”. He departed Skagway with visions of world cruises of adventure and discovery with his family. The vision was never realized, but not for want of effort. His thirst for life on the high seas was tempered by his concern for the safety of his family. He lived out the rest his days safely ashore.
Now, therefore be it proclaimed that the passing of Robert Messegee ends the life of one of Skagway’s great visionaries, but his legacy remains. It can be recognized in every facet of what the community has become since those formative years of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The groundwork laid by Mayor Messegee was the foundation for the transformation of Skagway to what it is today. We are sorely grieved by his passing, but immeasurably grateful for his contributions to our community.
Signed this 16th day of March, 2006 by Tim Bourcy, Mayor
Terry Clifford Mason
1943-2006
Terry C. Mason 62, of Skagway, Alaska passed away on March 12, 2006 at Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau, Alaska. Terry was born on December 25, 1943 to Delia V. Mulkey and Thelston Carlyle Mason in Corry, Pennsylvania. He came to Skagway in September 1946 with his family. In 1962 he enlisted into the army. He met his first wife Sherilyn P. Mason in Skagway and they married in Leesville, Louisiana in 1968 where he was stationed. They had two daughters.
Terry served in the Vietnam War. Upon completion of his service in 1975 he returned to Skagway where he met and married Marlin S. Neal in 1977. They had four children.
Terry joined the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks on April 22, 1965. He was a member of the VFW in Juneau, Alaska. He continued his service through the Alaska National Guard and retired from all services in 1993.
Terry worked for the White Pass & Yukon Railroad off and on from 1975 until his last date of service on October 25, 2002 as a Carman and finally as a Car Inspector. He spent three years in Anchorage and Fairbanks working for the Alaska Railroad. Terry had a great love for Skagway. In his early years he loved to hike the many trails in the area. One of his favorite pastimes was to spend the weekends with his brother Tom Mason and sister-in-law Sheila Mason at their cabin at Portage Lake in British Columbia. Terry loved fishing with his children, nephews and brother. Terry always took joy in catching the biggest fish and finding the plumpest blueberries.
Terry lived in Juneau from 1994 to 1998 where he enjoyed many visits with his mother Dee and step father Wayne Mulkey. He worked at Rent a Wreck for very good family friends George and Ethel Damian. Terry spent his last several years with his companion Julie Burnham of Skagway. He left behind many wonderful memories for his family and friends to share. He had many friends all over Alaska and in Canada. For many years he enjoyed going to local cafes for coffee in the morning to visit and share stories with friends and family. He loved Christmases with his children when they were young. He was very proud to be a grandfather to his ten beautiful grandchildren.
Terry is survived by his loving mother Delia V. Mulkey of Juneau, his devoted brother and sister-in-law, Thomas C. and Sheila Mason of Skagway, his daughters Tina Mason of Duncan, British Columbia and Patricia Mason of Medicine Hat, Alberta, his son and daughter-in-law Matthew and April Mason of Fairbanks, his daughter and son-in-law Tonie and Joshua Wine of Fairbanks, , his son and daughter-in-law Kevin and Jessica Mason of Fairbanks, his daughter and son-in-law Andrea and Joshua Ballinger of Ft. Stewart, Georgia, and 10 grandchildren. He is also survived by his nephew Thelston T. Mason and his niece Jean Mason of Juneau, his great niece Courtney Mason of Fairbanks, and great nephew, Thomas Mason of Juneau. He was preceded in death by his father Thelston C. Mason, his step father Wayne R. Mulkey, his brother Charles A. Mason and nephew Troy A. Mason.
Funeral services will be held at St. Therese Catholic Church in Skagway on Friday, April 7, 2006 at 11:00 a.m. with Celebrant, Father Edmund Penisten. Graveside services will be immediately following. A celebration of his life will be held at the Elks after the services.
Memorial donations may be given to Skagway Elks 431 Scholarship in memory of Terry Mason. Terry has gone to be with our Father in Heaven and will be greatly missed by all who loved him. – Submitted by the family
Glenda Jacqueline Purcell Choate
1932-2006
Glenda J. Choate, age 73, of Skagway, Alaska, and Bellingham, Wash., passed away on Monday, February 20, 2006, due to complications from ovarian cancer.She was born on October 28, 1932 in Georgetown, Texas.
One of Glenda’s dreams was to obtain a college education. While raising five children and being a career Army officer’s wife, she took college classes wherever her family was living. It was only after her youngest twins were born did she realize her goal and graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Education from Southeastern Missouri University. Glenda taught school full-time, teaching both special education and high school. In Williamsburg, Virginia, Glenda received her Master Degree in Education from the College of William and Mary. Some of her fondest teaching memories were at Heidelberg American High School in Germany where she taught American History and Government.
Upon relocating to Bellingham, Glenda attended Western Washington University and received a Masters Degree in History, with her thesis on Anna Louise Strong, a woman who was an author and labor activist during many of the major revolutions of the 20th century. She then obtained her post-graduate certificate in Archives and Records Management at Western.
After her divorce, Glenda interned at the Federal Records Center in Seattle, which led to one of her life ís greatest adventures: moving to and living in Alaska. In 1980 Glenda left Bellingham to work in Skagway, and loved it so much she decided to stay. She worked in various historical related positions for the State of Alaska, Sealaska Native Corporation, the City of Skagway and its Museum, and the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad. Glenda traveled extensively in the Alaskan Bush and Yukon Territory, was the director of the Skagway City Museum, and she published several books and manuals on the history of the Alaska. In recognition of her contributions to the Sealaska Heritage Foundation, Glenda was adopted into the Kogwonton Wolf Clan of the Tlingit Tribe, a major honor.
One of her most important accomplishments was starting and running her own business, “Alaska Archives & Records Management, ” which she continued until her passing. She owned the Principal Barber Shop in Skagway, one of the original buildings left from the “Days of 1898.” To interest her whimsical side of life, she started a clothing store in Skagway called “Miss Kitty’s” where she sold 1890s garments, including hats, to summer tourists. She was also a co-founder of Skagway’s Bigger Hammer Marching Band, a fixture at Fourth of July Parades. Glenda also joined the Peace Corps in Belize and traveled throughout Central America. Additionally, she was the Historic Preservation Officer for Clark County in Washington for a number of years.
Glenda was a life-long learner, an avid reader, and was deeply interested in civil rights and women’s issues. She was also a mentor and friend to many young women. One could always count on her listening to National Public Radio, CNN, and her daily read of the New York Times to follow what was happening on the national and world stages.
Glenda is survived by her five children: Mark (Sun) Choate of Juneau, Alaska, Julie Choat-Sparks of Tacoma, Steven (Wendy) Choat, of Bellingham, Scott Choate of Bellingham, and Susan (Tony) Doupe of Seattle, as well as eleven grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Her mother and her brother also survive her, as well as several nieces and nephews.
Services will be held at Westford Funeral Home on Sunday, March 19, 2006 at 11:00 a.m., with a reception at the Rhoeder Home to follow. The family will also be holding a service in Skagway, Alaska sometime in the late spring. Memorials may be made to the Glenda Choate Educational Fund, a trust fund Glenda created to provide matching scholarship funds and community cultural resources to the City of Skagway.
