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Joyce M. Sullivan
1933-2005
Former Skagway resident Joyce M. (Riewe) Sullivan, 71, died March 24, 2005, at her home in North Pole after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Mrs. Sullivan was born on May 29, 1933, in Seattle, Wash. and moved to Skagway when she was 18 months old. She met and married her husband, Larry, there, and they resided in Skagway until 1999 when they moved to North Pole.
Joyce was a member of the Skagway Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, a Lady Elk (Skagway Lodge #431), and an avid gardener. She won “Skagway’s Finest Garden” award in 1988.
Mrs. Sullivan was preceded in death by an infant son, Hugh Wade Sullivan; her parents, Herbert and Georgina (Anstey) Riewe; and siblings Gloria Riewe Jones and Durno Riewe.
She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Larry O. Sullivan (North Pole); daughter and son-in-law, Wayne andBeverly J. Perry (Skagway); son and daughter-in-law, Glenn L. and Laurie Sullivan (North Pole); son and daughter-in-law, Curtis D. and Debra Sullivan (North Pole); son and daughter-in-law, Ross A. and Cheryl Sullivan (Big Lake); sister, Faith (Riewe) Phillips (Sumner, Wash.); eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Fairbanks Cancer Center.
Margaret Burnham
1956-2008
Margaret came into this life on March 7, 1956 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Her parents Gordon and Sally Sue Sylliaasen, moved their family out west to Bellevue, Washington when Margaret was three. Margaret was baptized at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Bellvue in 1961, the year her sister Suzanne was born.
Margaret attended Tyee Junior High where she became friends with Barb, Laurie (later to become Laurie Rapuzzi) and Dellalee Rapuzzi. Margaret had written letters to various businesses in Skagway during her high school years looking for summer work. She received a letter from Wanda Warner advising her to finish high school first. After graduating high school in 1974, Margaret and Laurie came to Skagway to work, arriving via the ferry Columbia. Margaret worked at the Golden North Hotel and Dedman’s Photo Shop. Steve Burnham noticed her and courted her.
Margaret attended the University of Washington for two years; while there she joined a sorority and was a member of the crew team. Steve and Margaret married July 24, 1976 at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church.
Margaret bought her first Bradley Method book while awaiting her first born. She was her own first student in 1978. Afterward, she received training in Seattle and taught the Bradley Method from 1982-2006, always wanting a baby in her arms. To date she has at least 63 kids who arrived from her birth coaching, and some of those kids have been students themselves.
Margaret was always smiling, taking care of others, and did not want to be taken care of herself. She loved looking out her south window to view Mt. Harding Glacier and her east windows displaying Dewey Peaks. She participated in the Bird Club and knew her birds, and enjoyed climbing mountains and skiing with her dad and sister. Margaret was active in the Emblem Club and held the financial secretary office for several years. She served as a Sunday School teacher and a Deacon for First Presbyterian Church of Skagway. Margaret also worked for the library and Richter’s. Margaret was a core member of the Get The Lead Out Group, helping to spearhead the lead investigation out of concern for the children of Skagway. She provided the baby teeth saved from her boys for testing lead levels, resulting in the testing of all Skagway kids.
Margaret was proceeded in death by her father, Gordon Sylliaasen.
Margaret is survived by her devoted and loving husband, Steve Burnham; her precious son and daughter-in-law, Steven, Jr. and Kim, ; precious son, Michael; precious son and partner, Henry and Danielle; precious son Christopher; beautiful granddaughter, Maggie Lynn; her mother Sally Sue Sylliaasen; sisters, Suzanne and Tricia; parents-in-law, Charlie and Joyce Burnham; and lots of brothers and sisters-in-law, and tons of nephews and nieces.
Margaret’s living example as a devoted wife, loving mother, and faithful friend will continue to encourage and teach us all. Her grace and gentle spirit will be remembered and carried on.
She passed away at home on June 12, 2008. Margaret’s final words, “I love you.”
Nicklaus James Sorum
1986-2008
Nicklaus James Sorum, 21, died in his cabin in Fairbanks on May 23, 2008. Nick was born on June 29, 1986, in Prescott Ariz., and lived there until age 5 when he moved with his family to Wrangell. He grew up in Wrangell and moved with his family to Valdez in December 1999. Nick attended Valdez High School and graduated in 2004.
He worked for his uncle in Elko, Nev., for two summers and had attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks since 2004. He was involved with the music and art departments, was majoring in elementary eduction, and was an employee of Beaver Sports.
Nick was a member of the Church of Christ, an Eagle Scout and an all around good kid. He loved his music, art, working with younger children and spending time with friends hiking, biking, camping, snowboarding, and kayaking.
He is survived by his parents, Alan Sorum and Ruthie Knight of Valdez and Skagway, his sister, Elise; grandparents, Dawn Knight of Prescott and Harey and Gail Sorum of La Luz, N.M.; uncles David Knight (wife Debby, children Sam and Hannah) of Elko, Doug Knight (wife, Stacie, sons, Sean and Landon) of Plattsmouth Neb., and Roger Sorum of La Luz; aunts Robin Knight of Gilbert, Ariz., and Julie Sorum of Odessa Texas, and many, many friends.
A memorial service was held May 30, in Davis Concert Hall at UAF. An additional service was held May 31, at the Civic Center in Valdez.
In lieu of flowers, please honor Nicklaus with a donation to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Music Department’s talent scholarship fund: University of Alaska Fairbanks Music Department, P.O. Box 757530, Fairbanks, AK 99775. Arrangements were by Fairbanks Funeral Home and Crematory.
Richard Dick
1925-2008
Master Tlingit carver and former Skagway resident Richard Dick died Sept. 25, 2008, at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage. He was 83.
Born Sept. 14, 1925, in Angoon, he was an Eagle Kaagwaantaan from the Eagle Nest House. He attended school up to the eighth grade in Angoon and lived 60 years in Skagway.
Richard moved to Skagway after working with the U.S. Army engineers on the Alaska Highway project in 1942-43. His parents were working at the old TB sanitarium at Liarsville. Richard joined the railroad’s bridge gang but eventually moved over to the longshore unit, “where the money was better, ” he said in a 2005 interview.
Richard said he loved the people in Skagway: “You’re no stranger when you come here.”
He also was a business owner in Skagway with his wife, Alta. They operated Native Carvings and Gifts on the corner of Second and Broadway for many years, and also The Door Knob up the street. A master wood carver, he would often be seen working out on the bench in front of his store. Later, after the business closed, he sold his works in other galleries. His canoes and totems are in collections worldwide.
“It’s a gift, ” he said. “I’m fortunate to do something with my hands, so I’m not starting at the TV all day.”
Richard also was an accomplished musician, and even recorded an album of love songs in Tlingit and English.
Richard left Skagway in 2005 when a respiratory illness required him to be nearer to a hospital. He said the illness was probably brought on by breathing dust from unloading bags of asbestos from the old Cassiar mine in the 1960s. The bags sometimes broke, but they never thought much of it. “It was just dirty work, ” he said.
He moved to Juneau to be near his son Gilbert, and in recent weeks had been in the Anchorage hospital.
Richard was a shareholder of Kootznoowoo Corp., Sealaska Corp., and Huna Totem Corp., and a member of Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. The Skagway Tribal Council also was very kind to Richard.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Alta Marie Dick; daughter, Inga Betty Gore; parents, Albert Dick and Mary Judson; sisters, Naomi Kanosh, Priscilla Corpuz, Lydia Elliott, Lillian Fawcett and Helen Flood; and brothers, William Dick and Joseph Dick Judson.
He is survived by his son, Gilbert Peter Dick and wife, Janet, of Juneau; grandchildren, David Watson, of Juneau, Elijah Harris, of Juneau, Juanita Harris, of Juneau, Yvonne Harris, of Coos Bay, Ore., and Krista Harris, of Anchorage; great-grandchildren, Justice and Keisha Harris, of Juneau; sister, Rachel Jenning and husband, Chuck, of Stanwood, Wash.; brother, Albert Judson, of Juneau; and many nieces and nephews.
Two services were planned for Richard in Juneau and Skagway.
A memorial service has been scheduled for 2 p.m. this Sunday, Oct. 12 at the Skagway Traditional Council. Interment will then be at Skagway Cemetery next to Alta, according to his wishes. Refreshments will follow.
Honorary pallbearers are: Cyril George, Douglas Chilton, Gilbert Dick, Bud Matthews, Paul Wilson, John Berry, Larry Jacquot, Andrew Beierly, Si Dennis Jr., Fred Hosford, Ray Hosford, Keith Knorr, and Doug Hulk.
An earlier service was held on Oct. 4, at the Church of God in Juneau. Memorials may be sent to Janet K. Dick, 711 W. Willoughby Ave., No. 4, Juneau, AK 99801. – Skagway News & Juneau Empire, with information from the family and friends.
Linda Hancock
1943-2008
Linda Hancock was born in Dayton, Ohio on November 21, 1943. She grew up in Ohio and experienced a lot of the United States as an adult. She moved to Alaska in 1996, and settled in Skagway in 1999.
While in Skagway, she met and married Stan Kowalke. They eventually moved to Oregon, where Stan passed away. Linda moved on to Missouri and then returned back up to Alaska.
She passed away peacefully on August, 8, 2008 after a long illness.
Linda will always be remembered for her great dreams and for bringing her sister Cindy to know Jesus. She was a wonderful, feisty woman who was loved and will be missed by all.
Linda Hancock is survived by: brother Bill Sanderson; sister Diane Weimar; and sister Cindy Godbey (and Will) of Skagway. –
Bob Dill
March 1954 – January 2010
Veteran Skagway EMT Robert Ivan Dill died January 16, 2010 in the University Place, Wash. Hospice Center after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 55. Members of the Wick family, along with hospice workers, cared for him during his final days.
Dill was born on March 19, 1954 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He moved to Skagway in the late 1980s and joined the Skagway Fire Department in 1990. He was the department’s volunteer of the year in 1990-91.
He became an EMT in 1992 and rose to an EMT 3 in 1994, when he became the squad’s lieutenant. He was promoted to captain in 1996 and held that position until 2001.
His volunteer work on the squad earned him the Helen B. Clark Award for Skagway Community Service in 1999.
Dill was also employed by the fire department from 1992 to 2007, but in their nomination letter for the award, John and Barb Brodersen stressed that Dill was a volunteer on all EMS calls, from which he received no compensation.
“If the emergency requires a medevac to Juneau or Whitehorse, in any kind of weather, Bob will be in that ambulance or on that aircraft carefully monitoring the patient, ” they wrote. “He literally has the life of that person in his hands, and it is about time we, as a community, recognized Bob and his life-saving volunteer expertise.”
On the night the award was announced, Dill was on a medevac call, so it was presented to him later at a fire department meeting.
Through his job at the fire department, he was the support technician and building official at a time when Skagway was transitioning toward a modern department for a city with stricter building codes. He processed hundreds of building permits and was there to oversee the implementation of sprinklers and early warning systems in the downtown core.
Acting Fire Chief Wayne Greenstreet said Dill held a number of certificates from the National Fire Academy, National Search and Rescue School, International Conference of Building Officials, and International Code Council. He was certified as a Firefighter I in 2002, and also became the president of the Alaska Firefighters Association.
“I got along with Bob great, ” Greenstreet said. “He had an interesting personality that sometimes rubbed people the wrong way, but his personality was well-suited for the time it was… from people having fire and life safety the way they wanted it to following codes and standards. He had the personality to do it and he was the guy we needed.”
Greenstreet said Dill wore his “TFA” title patch proudly on his uniform. Officially it stood for “Totally Friendly Administrator, ” but you can fill in the blanks.
Dill came to Skagway with a lot of mechanical knowledge. Greenstreet said he remembered Dill completely re-plumbing an entire fire truck after it was damaged. After his firefighting career ended, Dill did other maintenance around town, and was the go-to guy at the Eagles, where he was a Past Worthy President.
Although never having a family of his own, Dill loved children, and this side of him was not often seen. He spent many Christmases with Tom and Tammy Cochran and their children, and Barb Brodersen remembers seeing their kids piling on top of him to hear him read stories.
This love for kids prompted him, as emcee of the Eagles Christmas Eve Program one year, to dress up as the Grinch. Many said he was a natural, better suited for the role than Jim Carrey.
He also looked after people, periodically showing up at the Brodersens, for example, to see if they were OK. “The last thing I said to him was ‘thanks for checking on us, ’” Brodersen said. “That’s a side of Bob Dill the public does not know.”
After his fire service, Dill joined the Planning and Zoning Commission, and he attended meetings until becoming ill last fall. When he arrived in Seattle with his medical issues in December, Dill was taken in by the Wick family.
“We were as close to family as he had, ” said long-time friend Chris Wick, formerly of Skagway, who cared for Dill with his wife Judy and parents Jim and Lois. Mick and Alice Schlick also came up from Nevada.
True to form, Bob was telling the hospital staff what to do, Wick said. In the end, Bob was aware of “a bigger calling” as the University Place Hospice Center kept him as comfortable as they could, Wick said. They printed off a number of e-mails and Facebook posts and read them to Bob. “He would grunt and kind of giggle, knowing a lot of people were thinking about him.”
A fund for Dill’s medical and estate expenses has been set up at the Eagles, where a raffle is being held on Super Bowl Sunday. A memorial gathering also is being planned during the week of Feb. 15 when the Wicks are in town.
Kurt Kosters
Sept. 1938 – Sept. 2009
Kurtis K. “Kurt” Kosters of Skagway passed away at his home on Sept. 23, 2009 at the age of 71.
Kurt was born Sept. 19, 1938 in Grangeville, Idaho to Anthony and Dena Kosters. He attended school at the Christian Schools in Lynden, Washington. At age 17, Kurt enlisted in the Army for two years as an M.P. He then joined the forestry department in order to fight forest fires in the interior of Alaska.
Kurt lived in Blaine, Washington for several years. It was there that he met and married Rosemary Lawton in May 1963. Together they lived and worked throughout Alaska, and then moved back to Blaine, where Kurt opened his first antiques store.
Kurt and Rose had three children, Anthony, Kody and Angela, who sadly died a few days after her birth. Eventually Kurt went back to Alaska in search of work. In 1969 he chose to settle in Skagway.
Most of Kurt’s adult life, he was a cabinet maker and builder. As a hobby he enjoyed working with wood, ivory, jade, etc., and making some unusual and beautiful items, including several totem poles. Some of Kurt’s handiwork can be found in the Skagway Museum. He was a truly gifted artist. He also enjoyed traveling (Europe, Asia, Africa), reading, crossword puzzles, and spending time with his kitties, “Keeper” and “Lady”.
Those of us who were closest to Kurt understand what a character he was, with his quick wit and unique sense of humor. He spoke his mind and lived life how he wanted to. During his early years in Skagway, he opened several businesses. The Trading Post always had sawdust on the floor, peanut barrel always full, and an antique barber chair in the middle of the store where musicians would gather to jam. You never knew who would take Kurt up on his pitch to “roll the dice” to see what an item would cost. “Double or nothing, ” Kurt would offer. The extra money he made might make the difference at his weekly, late night poker game.
Several who call Alaska home are here because of Kurt.
He is survived by his two loving and caring sons, Tony and Kody, also of Skagway; his brother, Lee Roy of Michigan; five sisters, Dorothy Crabtree of Modesto, Calif., Phyllis Zylstra of Bothell, Wash., Mae Rose Tiesinga of Birch Bay, Wash., and Joyce Kok and Patty Vander Veen of Lynden, Wash.
He also leaves two very dear friends, Vanessa Flynn and Dawn Nelson, both of Skagway, who aided and gave him much comfort, along with Barbara Miller, during his four years of dealing with cancer.
Interment will be in Monumenta Cemetery in Lynden at a later date.
Kurt (Dad), you were loved and you will be missed.
