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Lorrie Ann Cannon
1960-2005
Former Skagway resident Lorrie Ann Cannon died April 4, 2005 at her home in Juneau.
Cannon was born April 24, 1960 in Pasco, Wash. She graduated from West High School of Rockford, Ill. in 1978, and spent time in Skagway before moving to Juneau in 1981.
She was a postal carrier for 18 years.
Her family and friends will miss her deeply. She was preceded in death by her father, Dean Cannon, of Skagway.
She is survived by her sons, Christian and Kyle Klassen; grandson Kyler Klassen; partner-in-life Todd Evans; mother and stepfather, Jayne and Dave Brower of Montgomery, Tex.; sisters Deborah and Sandra; brother Robert; and nine nieces and nephews including Michelle Hosford of Washington who took care of her last wishes.
A rosary was held on April 7 at Saint Paul’s Catholic Church in Juneau. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or Hospice of Juneau.
George Villesvik
1907-2005
Former Skagway resident George Villesvik died April 4, 2005 in Lacey, Wash.
He was born on Sept. 12, 1907 in Washington state. He and his wife Ethel arrived in Skagway in the fall of 1947 from Seattle. He was a U.S. Customs inspector, meeting the WP&YR trains
Villesvik belonged to the local Elks, Eagles, and Masons, and he and his wife were members of the Presbyterian Church. Both enjoyed bowling and playing cards.
They left Skagway in 1974 for Sequim, Wash. He was preceded in death by his wife in 1979.
Barbara Elliott
1928-2005
Barbara June Elliott was born on March 27, 1928, in Batavia, New York to Vernon Paul and Clara Goff. The lights went out just as she was being born and since everyone knew how much her father wanted a boy, she was briefly known as Vernon Paul Goff II. The mid-wife was putting a diaper on the baby when the lights came back on when the proud parents heard her gasp, “He lost his tassel!” He was then dubbed Barbara June Goff and that name stuck. Barbara was the middle child of three girls.
At the age of 171/2, Barbara traveled to Washington, DC to take a job with the Navy Department as a file clerk. After she was hired it was learned that she had lied about her age and was not old enough to be employed there, but she convinced them to let her stay. After all, the government had spent the money to bring her to Washington DC! One of her favorite memories from that time was running into Admiral Nimitz…literally…on a day when she was late for work. Barbara was in DC for V.E. Day.
Barbara moved to California where she met her first husband, Stan, who was stationed at March Air Force Base. When he was transferred to England, she gladly went with him. Her love of travel was evident even then. Her son, Terry, was born there. Five years later, back in California, her daughter Debbie was born.
Barbara and Debbie moved to Las Vegas in 1962. Barbara began working at Peter Pan Playschool where she was known as Miss Barbara and taught preschool for 14 years. She taught the two-year-olds and by the time they left her class, they knew their full name, phone number, address, the Pledge of Allegiance and the names of ALL the planets! She also acted as the lifeguard at the Playschool and taught many children how to swim. Debbie remembers standing outside the gate to the swimming pool in the hot Las Vegas sun while Barbara took her sweet time swimming around the pool “checking the temperature” before letting the kids in to cool off.
In 1975, Barbara took a cruise to Alaska. She arrived in Skagway on the Prince George and fell in love. She went home and announced to Debbie that they were moving to Skagway. Debbie was not too keen on the idea since she was just starting her senior year at Las Vegas High School. Barbara stayed long enough for Debbie to finish school, then, as she liked to say, “she ran away from home.” Skagway has been her home since 1976.
Barbara spent many years working at Skagway Hardware; and then Kirmse’s. After she “retired” she opened her own business, Barb’s Bookkeeping, and took care of many local accounts. She operated her business until about two years ago when she had her first of three strokes and could no longer write legibly.
Barbara loved both cats and birds. She would tie suet in her trees so that she and her cats could watch the bird eat. She also loved to garden and spent many hours working in her yard. She was the proud recipient of the Edie Lee Award for the most beautiful garden in Skagway in 2003. It was a wonderful moment in her life.
Barbara’s love of traveling took her on a memorable trip to Hong Kong with her friends, Mary, Joyce, and Margaret. Alone she traveled to Australia, Russia (in the days of the Soviet Union), and Europe visiting Budapest in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Germany.
Barbara was an active member of the Skagway Senior Citizens group. You would often see her arriving at the post office or the grocery store in the Senior van, a vehicle of independence for her. She never had a driver’s license.
Barbara was a dedicated Democrat in a Republican family and she never hesitated to voice her opinion…and she was not Pro Road!
Barbara was an active member of the Order of the Eastern Star, Naomi Chapter #9. In recent years she held the offices of treasurer and sentinel.
Standing watch by Barbara at her service was her yard sentinel, Miss Goose…Goosie to her friends. Miss Goose sat in Barbara’s yard where she attracted much attention with her sense of fashion and various outfits designed for any occasion.
Miss Goose recently took a trip down to Juneau with Deb Boettcher, Su Rappleye, and Connie Conard to visit Barbara in the hospital. She forgot her glasses and Skagway Air held the flight while someone ran home to retrieve them. She brought a smile to Barbara’s face as she modeled her newest outfits. Mother Goose (which she was wearing)…a wedding ensemble complete with pearls. Barbara lovingly released Miss Goose into Debbie’s care and Debbie brought Miss Goose, attired in her BBQ outfit, home with her…after all it was Memorial Day and doesn’t everyone BBQ Memorial Day!
Barbara June Elliott passed away on Tuesday evening, June 14 at Bartlett Memorial Hospital in Juneau, Alaska. She is survived by her eldest sister Juanita Winton, son Terry, and wife Debbie; daughter Debbie’s husband Ron; two granddaughter, Amber and Wendy, and a great-grandson, Thomas, the apple of her eye. She also leaves behind her two cats, Precious and Jewell, and her many friends in Skagway.
Betty Herpst memorial June 24
A memorial service for long-time Skagway resident Betty Herpst, who died on Jan. 1, 2005, will be held on Friday, June 24 at 7 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church.
Inez Soldin Knorr
1925-2006
Life-long Skagway resident Inez Soldin Knorr, age 80, passed away Sunday, February 5, 2006 in California while visiting her son Mark and his family.
She was born on November 9, 1925 in Chilkoot Barracks (Haines), Alaska. Her parents were Emitt Lee Thatcher and Mavis Clair Hukill of Skagway.
They were Skagway pioneers. Inez’s grandparents, David and Heneritta Hukill, arrived in 1899. David worked on building the White Pass & Yukon Route. Their daughter, Mavis Clair Hukill, was born in 1901. She married Emitt Lee Thatcher who died from complications from mustard gas after serving in World War I. They had two children, Emitt and Inez.
Mavis then married Hans Soldin who adopted both Emitt and Inez and then they had two more children, Irene and Tooky. Hans Soldin worked for the White Pass and while Inez was growing up, she lived at Glacier Section on the railroad. Inez graduated from Skagway Public School and attended college in Tacoma. She worked at the Pullen House as a waitress in her early teens, at the Lockheed factory in California on P38s as a riveter, and at the Alaska Road Commission in Juneau as the secretary in charge of equipment.
Inez met Marvin in Juneau and was married in 1951. They moved to Skagway soon after. In Skagway Inez worked for AP&T and then for White Pass as a coach cleaner starting in 1957 until she retired in 1976. For many years after retiring, Marvin and Inez traveled extensively throughout the continental U.S., Europe, Australia and Southeast Asia. During their last years, they lived quietly in Skagway and often went to their cabin in Carcross or on Lake LaBerge. Inez’s husband, Marvin Knorr, Sr., died July 17, 2003 just shy of being 90 years old.
Inez loved Skagway. Throughout her life, she enjoyed hiking, fishing, hunting, painting and gardening. She also got pleasure from music and playing an organ, the piano, the violin, and an accordion. Inez loved decorating for Christmas; one year the tree was done so it looked like it went through the ceiling. Bits and pieces about Inez include: a picture of Inez with Barbara Kalen hiking AB Mountain on the front cover of the Alaska magazine; Marvin and Inez dancing in the ‘Days of 98 Show; Inez teaching classes to anyone interested in knitting, crocheting and reupholstering; and Inez at age 70 hiking the Chilkoot Trail with the Chilkoot Sisters in July, 1995. She was an active volunteer at the Skagway Fire Department and they awarded her a very heavy red bathrobe because she’d rush to the Fire Hall on winter mornings. Mushroom gathering, picking blueberries, and hunting pinecones were just a few of the things she taught her grandchildren.
In recent years, Inez enjoyed going to local cafes for coffee in the morning with her friend and pal, Connie Conard. She was also an active member of the Women’s Bowling League and Eastern Star Naomi #9. In addition, Inez played cribbage frequently with another friend, Renate Mulvihill. An animal lover, Inez was known to feed biscuits to dogs as she walked around town. She would also stop and provide tourists with directions or just chat with them. Inez remained happy and cheerful throughout her many years of Alzheimer’s.
Inez is survived by her beloved sons: Bill Hall of Corpus Christi; Marvin Knorr, Jr. of Crescent Springs, Kentucky; Mark Knorr of Folsom, California; Keith Knorr of Skagway; as well as eleven grandchildren and one great granddaughter. Her two sisters, Irene Henricksen of Skagway and Tooky Harlow of Gig Harbor, Washington are also still living.
Inez will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her. If you would like to share your favorite memory of Inez, please send an e-mail to Debbie at ddknorr@hotmail.com. A memorial service will be held at the Presbyterian Church at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 29, 2006. – Submitted by the family
Ruth Margaret Kasko
1928-2006
Ruth Margaret Kasko of Klukwan passed away at Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau on July 8, 2006 surrounded by her family and friends following a lengthy illness.
She was born August 18, 1928 to Daniel and Margaret Katzeek in Klukwan, Alaska. Ruth carried the names Kadaay kalut and Yikdatoo of the Kootis Hit (Looking Out House) of the Gaanaax tei di clan of Klukwan.
Ruth attended Sheldon Jackson through grade eight and received her GED. On February 8, 1950 she married Edwin Kasko of Klukwan. Together they worked for over two decades to promote Edwin as a pre-eminent Tlingit carver and silversmith.
“Ruth was totally dedicated to her family and Tlingit traditional values. She was a dedicated mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and Aunty to her entire family. She was a skilled weaver of Chilkat and Ravenstail blankets, as well as cedar baskets, and an accomplished skin sewer. She took a leadership position in 1998 as a prime promoter of Keet Gooshi Tours, one of the first all-village based cultural tours to be led by Tlingit guides. Ruth was an avid supporter and cultural advisor to the Bald Eagle Foundation of Haines, ” said her family.
She was preceded in death by her parents Daniel and Margaret Katzeek; by her sisters Alice and Marian; and by her brothers George, James, Frank, Watson and Tom.
She was a frequent visitor to Skagway, especially when her mother lived here in the 1980s with her sister Marian and Ernie Kelm.
Ruth is survived by her brother Smith Katzeek Sr. and her daughters Alice Morris, Lorraine Kasko and Marjorie McWhorter; grandchildren Denise and Dennis (DJ) Morris; Cortes and Jessica McWhorter; her great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation in Juneau was held at the chapel at the Alaskan Memorial Park and Mortuary at 6 p.m. Thursday July 13, 2006. Memorial Services were held in Klukwan at the ANS Hall on Saturday, July 15, 2006.
Memorial donations may be made in Ruth’s name to the Chilkaat Kwaan Cultural Heritage Center, care of the Chilkat Indian Village, P.O. Box 210, Haines, AK 99827.
Stanley A Kowalke
1932 - 2006
Former Skagway resident Stanley A Kowalke, 73, died peacefully in his sleep June 25, 2006 at his Otis, Oregon home after suffering a major stroke in mid-May.
Stan was born December 5, 1932 in Carver County, Minnesota to Stanley G and Lottie Kowalke. He graduated high school in Minnesota, went to Alaska and worked for the Alaska Road Commission during 1952-53. He worked on the Seward Highway before being drafted into the U.S. Army where he served for two years as a demolitions expert.
While stationed in Washington he met and married Alta M Hylton in Shelton, Washington December 7, 1954. After Stan was honorably discharged from the Army they moved to Anchorage, Alaska in early 1955 where he went to work in 1957 for Alaska Airlines as a ramp service agent.
Mr. Kowalke moved his young family to Cordova, Alaska in late 1963 to work for Merle (Mudhole) Smith as station manager for Cordova Airlines. After Cordova Airlines was merged with Alaska Airlines in 1968, Stan continued to work for Alaska Airlines as the Cordova station manager and held that position until his retirement in September 1993.
Stan and Alta then retired to Skagway, a place they had discovered while motor home camping, one of their favorite past times. Stan enjoyed puttering around in his shop as well as motor home camping around the state and Yukon Territory, Canada.
During his retirement years in Skagway, he worked briefly for L.A.B. Flying Service and one summer for White Pass Railroad, shuttling visitors up and down the dock. After his wife Alta died in 1997, Stan continued to live in Skagway until December 2004 when he moved to Otis, Oregon.
Stanley is survived by his three daughters, Terry (& Bob) Bonnell of Cordova, Alaska; Connie Kowalke of Otis, Oregon; and Dorinda (& Paul) Pettit of Lexington, Kentucky; brothers Harry (& Phyllis) Kowalke of Gleneden Beach, Oregon and Bob (& Shelley) Kowalke of Willow, Alaska; as well as 6 grandchildren, Joe & Randy Bonnell; Derinda & Jozie Duncan; and Jessi & Michael Pettit; 2 great-grandchildren Darius Murphy and Leonard Pettit; niece Leann Clawson and nephew Tommy Kowalke.
Stan was preceded in death by his wife, Alta and his parents. Ashes of both Stan and Alta Kowalke will be scattered in White Pass outside of Skagway next spring or early summer. Funeral arrangements were by Virgil T Golden Funeral Service in Salem, Oregon. No services were held per Mr. Kowalke’s request. Donations may be made in Stan’s memory to a Cancer Fund or State Troopers of your choice.
Carol Ann Nelson
1936-2007
Former long-time Skagway resident Carol Ann Nelson, 70, passed away peacefully among friends and family at Denali Center in Fairbanks on Thursday, Sept. 13, 2007, after a long painful battle with a rare Parkinson related syndrome, Cortical-Basal Ganglionic Degeneration.
The youngest of four, Carol was born in Munising, Mich., Oct. 9, 1936, to Lawrence and Viola LaMont. Carol’s family moved when she was 9 years old to Shelton, Wash., where she grew up, married and had her children.
An Alaska resident for 43 years, Carol moved to Skagway in 1964. Carol helped her husband Wes operate a hunting camp by cooking, packing horses, and processing meat. Right up to the last few years of her life, Carol continued to raise farm animals; chickens, pigs, cattle and horses. Some years Carol was milking 10 to 12 cows and wrangling 30 head of horses. Carol worked as a dispatcher for LAB Flying Service for 20 years. She also cooked for the community Senior Citizens’ luncheon each week for many years.
Carol loved her dogs, the outdoors, and animals. Carol is well known for being a hard worker and never complaining. She was an excellent cook and always had a smile and a kind word. Her coffee pot was always full and her door open to anyone who wanted endless cups of coffee and to shoot the breeze. She could even give you a hair cut while you visited!
Carol was preceded in death by her husband Wes Nelson; grandson George Thiel; and parents Lawrence and Viola LaMont.
Carol is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Linda and John Sims of Fairbanks; son and daughter-in-law Lee and Carol Nelson of Skagway; son and daughter-in-law Jay and Shannon Nelson of Wasilla; son Joe Nelson and Allison Heater of Billings, Mont.; Kolin and Cari O’Daniel of Fairbanks; brother, Kenneth LaMont of Joppa Island, Md.; brother Clayton LaMont, and sister Patricia Petty of Shelton, Wash.; grandchildren, Sally Kortus, Becky Hunnicutt, Joshua Sims, Jacob Sims, Wyatt Nelson, Kariel Young, Westin Nelson, Kohl Nelson, Lea Mauldin, Kirsten and Connor O’Daniel; and great-grandchildren, Amanda, Zachary, Benjamin, Daniel, Kristlyn, Ashley, Shane, Marrissa, and Cheyenne.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Denali Center, 1510 19th Ave., Fairbanks, AK 99701. No service is planned at this time.
Steve Ray Wilson
1965-2007
Long-time Gustavus resident Steve Ray Wilson died Aug. 13, 2007, in a plane crash 40 miles north of Arctic Village in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, while hunting Dahl sheep. He was 41.
He was born Nov. 13, 1965, in Juneau. He lived in Juneau several years until his family moved to Haines, later to Anchorage, and then to Gustavus in 1971. He attended the Gustavus School through grade school. He graduated from Cedaredge High School in Colorado in 1983. There was not a high school in Gustavus at that time.
At 18, he earned his private pilot’s license. He started flying commercially for Skagway Air, then flew for various air taxies out of Juneau. Later, he founded and operated Air Excursions, based in Gustavus. He later sold Air Excursions and operated a single pilot company, Wilson Air, also based in Gustavus.
His flying career took him all over the United States. Last winter, he flew for a company in Key West, Fla. He was an avid hunter of Alaska big game and had hunted all over the state. One year, he won the big buck contest for northern Southeast. Steve enjoyed running, especially running the Klondike Trail Race with the Gustavus team. He also played softball every summer with the Gustavus team, which competed in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, this year.
He will be missed by all, said his family.
He is survived by his two children, Mickey Wilson of Skagway and Gustavus, and Brandy Wilson of Fairbanks; parents, Eldon and Rita Wilson, of Gustavus; sister, Lori Ortega and family, of Gustavus and Juneau; uncle, Bud Wilson of Gustavus; and friend and companion, Lexa Meyer.
A memorial service for Steve will be held at 1 p.m. Friday Aug. 24 at the Fjord Flying Service hangar at the Gustavus Airport.
