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Celia Soriano Leonidas
Juneau resident Celia Soriano Leonidas, 63, died April 17, 2002, in Juneau from dermatomyositis.
She was born Feb. 19, 1939, in the Philippines to Maria and Florencio Leonidas and moved to Juneau in 1981. She worked as a housekeeper at Bartlett Regional Hospital until her illness forced her retirement in January 2002. She was the first person to receive "Employee of the Month" at Bartlett and was a member of the Juneau Filipino Community.
She was preceded in death by her mother, father and brother Pablo.
She is survived by sister Alicia Leonidas, brother Joseph Leonidas, and many nieces and nephews, all of the Philippines.
A funeral Mass will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, April 20, 2002, at St. Paul's Catholic Church. A potluck reception will follow at the parish hall. A rosary will be said today at 6 p.m. at St. Paul's.
Honorary pallbearers will be Lou Edwards, Danny Villanueva, Mario Lim, Dominic Santos and Ramon Santos.
At her request, she has been cremated and her ashes will be returned to her family in the Philippines for burial.
Blanche Arelene Radie
Juneau resident Blanche Arelene Radie died March 23, 2001, at the Juneau Pioneers' Home.
She was born Sept. 29, 1910, in Dayton, Ore. She moved to Juneau in 1984. She worked for the Senior Service program in the day care and the Bridge program.
Services will be held March 29 in McMinnville, Ore.
She is survived by her sons Fred and Richard Radie and daughter Dorothy Lewis, all of Oregon, 13 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Betsy E. Sears
Former Juneau resident Betsy E. Sears (Sneesby), 89, died March 17, 2001, in Wasilla. She was the widow of Sterling S. Sears, the superintendent of schools in Juneau from 1949 to 1964.
Born April 25, 1911, on a homestead farm near Chugwater, Wyo., she graduated from Chugwater High School in 1929. She attended Colorado State Teachers' College in Greeley and the University of Wyoming in Laramie.
In 1937 she married Sterling S. Sears, the principal of the school in Wyoming where she was teaching. In 1949 the family drove the Alaska Highway to Juneau. Sterling became school superintendent and Betsy worked for the state Department of Vital Statistics. Because the law disallowed spouses from working in the same school district, Betsy gave up her teaching career. She raised her children, was actively involved in the community and enjoyed boating with her family.
In 1964, the family moved to Kenai where and she was an active volunteer in the development of the Kenai Library. In 1968 she and Sterling moved to Camano Island, Wash., following his retirement. She enjoyed reading, sewing, gardening, and volunteering in the activities of the Methodist church. They made several motorhome trips in the country. She always took an interest in the world and was especially interested in United States and Alaska history.
Her greatest joy in life came from her family. After Sterling's death in 1992, she moved to Chugiak to be near her children and grandchildren. She volunteered with the reading program at Chugiak Elementary School. When her health began to fail in September 2000, she moved to Northstar Assisted Living in Wasilla.
She is survived by her son Stanley E. Sears (and Alice) of Eagle River, and their children Marlys and Sterling; daughter Sharon S. Russell of Palmer and her children Todd and Tonya; step-son Bob Sears (and Ruby) of Seattle and their children Douglas, Craig, and Lisa; her brother Gene Sneesby (and Elsie) of Casper, Wyo., and nieces, nephews and three great-grandchildren.
A service was held March 22 in Chugiak. She will be buried beside her husband in Stanwood, Wash.
Elaine B. Mitchell
Longtime Juneau resident and Alaska public broadcasting pioneer Elaine B. Mitchell died March 16, 2001, in Juneau.
She was born in Sept. 26, 1920, in Chicago and moved to Juneau with her family in 1965. In the 1960s, she worked as a cook at Taku Lodge, as a reporter and photographer for the Juneau Empire and as information director for Gov. Keith Miller.
She was a "founding mother" of KTOO radio and television in the early 1970s. She reported for the first public radio coverage of the Alaska Legislature in 1973 and the first public television coverage of the Legislature in 1977. She then served on the Alaska Public Broadcasting Commission until retiring in 1982.
She is survived by her husband David Mitchell of Juneau, children Mike Mitchell (and Barbara) of Anchorage, Melanie (and Jim) Prevost of Palmer and Kelly Mitchell of Juneau and grandchildren Mary, John, Annie Prevost of Palmer and Gwyn Howard of Anchorage. At her request, there will be no service. However, well-wishers are encouraged to remember her as they enjoy and support public radio and television in Alaska.
Dr. William Charles Rogers
Optometrist William "Chuck" Rogers, 46, died July 1, 2001, at Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau.
Born Feb. 11, 1955, in Taft, Texas, Rogers moved at an early age to The Dalles, Ore., with his family. He attended schools in The Dalles and graduated from The Dalles High School in 1973. Following high school, he attended Portland State University and the University of Oregon before his graduate studies at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore. Upon graduating from Pacific with his doctorate in optometry, Rogers came to Alaska to establish his practice.
He practiced in association with Vista Optical throughout his career in Ketchikan, Juneau and Anchorage. Rogers was regarded by his patients and colleagues as an outstanding provider in the field of family vision care.
His interests included spending time with his friends, fishing, hiking and watching University of Oregon football and NASCAR racing.
Rogers was preceded in death by his parents Bishop W. Rogers and Mildred B. Montgomery.
He is survived by his daughter Meghann of Oregon, brother and sister-in-law Ted and Donna of Oregon, brother Ron of Oregon, and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at 6 p.m. July 7 at the Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, 8100 Arctic Blvd., in Anchorage. Family and close friends invite all those who knew Rogers to attend a celebration of his life.
Evelyn Cora Harry
Longtime former Juneau resident Evelyn Cora Harry died June 22, 2001, in Bellevue, Wash.
She was born on Aug. 11, 1922, in Portland, Ore., the only child of George and Minnie Leiper.
She attended Reed College in Portland and Oregon State University. She married her high school sweetheart George Y. Harry III in 1942. During World War II she worked as a shipyard hiring clerk in Portland. After the war she lived in Seattle where her husband attended graduate school. The couple moved to Juneau when Alaska was still a territory. While in Juneau, she was appointed to the state parole board by the governor.
After nine years, they moved to Ann Arbor, Mich. Harry's final move was in 1970 to Bellevue, Wash., where she became a volunteer parole officer and taught English to international university students. Harry was an active member of her church and served on the altar guild at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church.
She is survived by her husband George; son George (Tuck) and wife Lisa Spino of Tenakee Springs; daughter Heather and husband David Nelson of Oregon; and grandsons Christopher Nelson and Geoffrey Nelson of New York.
Wayne Mulkey
Wayne Riddell Mulkey died Oct. 15, 2001, in Juneau.
Born Dec. 27, 1916, in Porterville, Calif., Mulkey lived in Juneau for 31 years and worked as a carpenter, a manager for Encyclopedia Britannica and a bartender for the Alaska Marine Highway.
He graduated from high school in Seaside, Ore., and served in the U.S. Navy from 1944-46. He was a member of the BPO Elks 420, the Moose Lodge 700, the F.O. Eagles and the American Legion.
He is survived by his wife Delia V. Mulkey, Juneau; sons David Mulkey, Las Vegas, Nev., and Bryson Mulkey, Bullhead City, Ariz.; daughter Carolyn Kemp, Kenniwick, Wash.; stepsons Tom and Terry Mason, Skagway; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Services are pending.
George Converse
George Herbert Converse died Sept. 23, 2001, in Port Angeles, Wash.
Born Dec. 2, 1921, to Wilbur and Myrtle Converse in Douglas, Converse was schooled in Juneau and stationed with the Army in Haines, the Pribiloff Islands and Nome.
He married Doris LeVan in August 1956 in Juneau. He worked at the Juneau sawmill, drove a cab and worked for Alaska Electric Light & Power Co. before retiring to Sequim, Wash., in 1983. In 1998 he married Elinor Foss of Sequim.
Converse was a member of the Elks #420 in Juneau and an Associate Member at Sequim Elks. He was a member of Good Sam's Club, the Eagles, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Sequim.
He was preceded in death by his first wife Doris.
He is survived by his wife Elinor of Sequim; sister Viola Hanson of Johnson City, Tenn.; and many nieces and nephews in Alaska, Washington and Tennessee.
A celebration of life was held at the Sequim Elks on the afternoon of Thursday, Sept. 27, 2001.
Terry Pegues
Lifelong Juneau resident Terry Pegues died Sept. 4, 2001, in Juneau following a long battle with heart disease.
Pegues was born in Juneau on Sept. 1, 1931, to Dorothy and Jack Pegues. He was a 1949 graduate of Juneau High School and studied history and public policy at the University of Alaska and George Washington University.
His career as a basketball broadcaster started in the 1950s and spanned four decades. In 1989, he was inducted to the Gold Medal Hall of Fame.
Beginning in 1959, he traveled extensively as a service school recruiter for the Alaska National Guard. His own military roots were planted when he became an NCO graduate of the Army Infantry School.
In 1966, Pegues became project field representative and manpower planner for the Office of the Governor. Later he served as director of the Manpower Division of Tlingit-Haida Central Council and as executive director of the Southeast Alaska Community Action Program. He ended his career in human resource development at the Alaska Department of Labor.
Pegues was a member of the Juneau Parks and Recreation Board, Juneau's Alaska Centennial Committee, Juneau Block Grant Committee, and Juneau Lions Club. He was also on the boards of the Juneau Teenage Club and Juneau Youth Football. He was a member of the Alaska Native Brotherhood Camp 2.
He is survived by his wife June (Brown) Pegues and their children James, Pamela, Neil, Mark, Terrence, Carrie and Amberly; brothers Jim, Don, Rod, Bob and Dick; his children from previous marriages Mike Pegues and Judy Grantham, and Lisa, Christopher and Anthony Newhouse; and numerous nieces, nephews, grand-
children and great-grandchildren.
Honorary pallbearers are Gus Adams, Dr. Henry Akiyama, Bob Armstrong, Catalino Barril, Tom Cashen, Hugh Doogan, Johan Dybdahl, Dan Etulain, Murlin Everson, Rich Hansen, Fred Hope, Louie Howard, Terry Lennon, Robert Loescher, John Martin Sr., Chris McNeil Jr., Peter Metcalfe, Pat Ness, Jim Pegues, Gary Perkins, Bob Primacio and Gil Truitt.
A memorial service is scheduled for 7 p.m., Monday, Sept. 10, at the Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall in Juneau.
Margaret Rae Kalin Justice
Margaret Rae Kalin Justice died Oct. 7, 2001, in Juneau after a long illness.
She was born July 30, 1925, in Belleville, Kan., to Dr. Eugene Victor Kalin and Rebekah Mae Benson Kalin.
She attended undergraduate schools in Kansas and California, completing her master's degree at Syracuse University in New York. She started her teaching career in California, and moved to Juneau in 1959, continuing to teach for three years until she was recruited by the state Department of Education, where she remained until her retirement.
She married Wheeler "Bud" Justice on March 19, 1965.
After retirement she remained active as a volunteer with Friends of the Library and coordinated a senior citizens' bridge club. She also was an avid painter.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and her brother Victor Kalin.
She is survived by her brother Jay Kalin of Overland Park, Kan.; three children, Jody Epps of Lake Jackson, Texas, Jennifer Garcia of Tacoma, Wash., and Jeff Justice of Juneau; and six grandchildren.
Memorial services were held Oct. 12 at the Alaskan Memorial Park. Memorial gifts can be made to Bartlett Regional Hospital or the Hospice and Home Care of Juneau.
Ralph B. Williams
Ralph Benjamin Williams died Sunday, Sept. 30, 2001, in Juneau.
He was born Aug. 10, 1910, to Freeman R. Williams and Laura Bullock in Salt Lake City, Utah. He married Ione E. Fallentine in 1933, and the couple moved to Juneau in 1944. He worked as the director of the Division of Public Health Laboratories for the state of Alaska until 1969.
He was a member of the Gastineau Philatelic Society, the American Society of Microbacteriologists, the American Ornithologists, the Alaskan Falconer's Association and the Alaska Audubon Society.
Williams was preceded in death by his wife.
He is survived by his brother Freeman R. Williams, Jr.; sister Eona Hoagland of Utah; daughters Constance Johnson of Sitka and Katherine Beckett of Rockport, Texas; grandchildren Craig and Clark Johnson of Seattle, Lt. Sean Beckett of Chesapeake, Va., Erin Lisa Casey of Abilene, Texas; and three great-grandchildren.
A visitation will be held at Alaskan Memorial Park at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11. Memorial donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association and the American Cancer Society.
Juanita Johnson
Longtime local resident Juanita June Johnson died Sept. 1, 2001, in Juneau.
She was born in Montana on June 3, 1925, to Ora Inabnit-Whitaker and Silas Whitaker. She graduated from Gallant High School and the University of Montana and was a certified nurse.
She arrived in Juneau in 1951 and worked as a nurse at St. Ann's Hospital. One year later, she married Arvid Johnson of Douglas. She also worked as a home care provider and a clerk for the state before retiring in 1985.
Juanita is remembered by her children as a loving and dedicated mother. Her neighbors remember her as a practical and non-judgmental person who would give beyond her means.
She was preceded in death by her son Douglas, husband Arvid, parents and seven siblings.
She is survived by her son Raymond Johnson and his wife Jaye; daughter Deborah; grandson Trey Westika, all of Juneau; brother Don Whitaker and his wife Jo of Montana.
Pallbearers are Carling Cadiente Sr., Neil Doogan, Shelby Edwards, John Metcalfe, Mark Metcalfe, Bill Stoddard, Paul Thomas and Rick Untalasco. Honorary pallbearers are Andres Cadiente Sr., Irene Cadiente, Patricia Ellsworth, Marguerite Fiorella, Dorothy Sturrock, Rita Thomas and Pat Wolpert.
A viewing will be held at the Alaskan Memorial Park Mortuary from 3 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 8. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 10.
George J. Mayeda Jr. and Geraldine Nellie (Mayeda) Bledsoe
A duel memorial service for George John Mayeda Jr. and Geraldine Nellie (Mayeda) Bledsoe will be held tonight at 7 p.m. at the ANB Hall.
Mayeda died June 28, 2002, in Oneida City, N.Y. Bledsoe died Aug. 18, 2002, in Redding, Calif.
