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Margaret Thomas
Longtime Juneau resident Margaret "Peggy" Thomas, 51, died June 8, 2004, in Eugene, Ore., due to complications from multiple sclerosis.
She was born July 21, 1952, in Lebanon, Ore., to Robert and Doris Lake Thomas. She lived in Juneau from 1961 to 1998. At the time of her death, Peggy was residing in Eugene, Ore., near her family. She was a Juneau-Douglas High School graduate and later received an associate of arts degree in early childhood education from Lane Community College in Eugene. While in Alaska, she worked for the Alaska district attorney's office. She was an active member of Auke Bay Bible Church in Juneau. In Eugene, she was a member of the Emerald Bible Fellowship.
Her family said she loved singing and praising God. She loved her family and friends and enjoyed gardening, fishing and crafts, they said.
She is survived by her mother, Doris Thomas of Eugene, Ore.; son, Mark Thomas of Eagle River; daughter, Samantha Thomas of Eugene; brother, Richard (Hilary) Thomas of Eagle River; sisters, Pennie Thomas of Springfield, Ore., Nancy (Bill) Fuller of Eugene; nieces and nephews, Rob Thomas, Samantha Thomas, Noelle Thomas, Caleb Thomas, Janna Fuller and Evan Fuller.
A visitation was held Saturday, June 12, at Lane Memorial Gardens Funeral Home in Eugene, Ore., followed by a gathering of her family and friends at her mother's home.
Doris Thomas can be reached at 2505 Frontier Drive, Eugene, OR 97401.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Charles 'Tex' Kaze Sr.
Former Juneau resident Charles "Tex" Kaze Sr., 78, died June 12, 2004, in Anchorage.
He was born Feb. 18, 1926, in Electra, Texas, to Leonard and Anne Kaze. He served in the Navy during World War II. He moved to Hoonah in 1945, spending time in Juneau during the 1950s and 1970s. He was a longtime fisherman, worked on the North Slope and acted as a superintendent for various shrimp and crab tanneries. His family said he enjoyed painting Tlingit designs.
He is survived by his wife, Esther Kaze of Hoonah; daughters, Mary Peterson, Susan Gonzalez and Cynthia Kaze, all of Hoonah; sons, Charles N. Kaze Jr., and Gaylord L. Kaze, both of Anchorage; sisters, Ruth Winsor of Arizona, and Faye Bison of Juneau; brother, Leonard Kaze of California; six grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Pallbearers will be Bob Leuband, Evan Gonzalez, Audie Peterson, Hubert Lindoff, Sam Willard and Bernard Wolfe. Honorary pallbearers will be Karl Greenewald Sr., Adam Greenewald, Jennie Lindoff, Cecila Greenewald, Adeline St. Clair, Rosie Stevenson, Anita Lafferty, Sam Gonzalez, Buster Davis, John Martin Sr. and Ron Williams.
A memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 16, at the ANB Hall in Hoonah. The funeral service will be held at noon Thursday, June 17, in Hoonah.
Stanley D. 'Stan' Swanson
Longtime Juneau resident Stanley D. "Stan" Swanson, 81, died Monday, June 14, 2004, at his home in Juneau, with his family by his side, after a brief battle with cancer.
He was born in 1923 in Fife, Wash., to William A. and Ocie V. Swanson. He was a graduate of Kapowsin High School in Washington. He enlisted in the Navy during World War II and served in the South Pacific in the Construction Battalion, known as the Seabees. Following the war, he met and married his wife, Marjorie, and returned to college. After his graduation from the University of Washington in 1951 with a degree in fisheries biology, their family moved to Ketchikan, where he began his 25-year career with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (then the Territorial Department of Fisheries). He would later become a regional supervisor and then the director of the Division of Commercial Fisheries, a position he held for a number of years.
He was an avid fisherman, hunter and conservationist, and enjoyed being out on the boat, fishing, rain or shine. During his retirement years, he took pleasure in traveling, commercial and sport fishing, hunting, farming and spending time with family and friends.
He was a life member of Ketchikan Lodge No. 159 F&A.M., a member of the 34th (Sp) Battalion Seabee Veterans Association, the Retired Public Employees of Alaska and had been a member of the Juneau Yacht Club.
He was preceded in death by his parents; and by a sister, Shirley Imeson of Seattle.
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Marge Swanson of Juneau; sons, Eric Swanson of Juneau, and Carl Douglas Swanson of Seattle, Wash.; granddaughters, Claire Swanson and Valerie Rose of Juneau; sister, Enid S. Magill of Petersburg; nieces, Pat Magill Stevens of Juneau, and Linda Blakley of Colorado; nephews, Rick Magill of Sitka, Neal and Keith Imeson of Oregon; as well as numerous other relatives and friends.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, June 18, at the Douglas Community United Methodist Church, 1106 Third St., Douglas. Due to the current road resurfacing project in Douglas, guests are urged to allow for extra time. Internment will follow in Washington.
The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Hospice and Home Care of Juneau, the American Lung Association or to the American Cancer Society.
Harold Cosgrove Jr.
Longtime Juneau resident Harold L. "Harry" Cosgrove Jr., 76, died June 9, 2004, of an apparent heart attack at his home.
He was born in 1928 in Albany, N.Y., and lived in Albany, Mexico and Washington D.C., before coming to Juneau in the mid-1960s. A Korean War veteran, he lived in Mexico for seven years beginning in the 1950s, traveling and working throughout Mexico and Central America. He worked in Mexico as a traveling salesman and in sales for a large furniture chain. He corresponded with the friends he met there for some 50 years.
When he was working for the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C., in the early 1960s, he pioneered the idea behind the still-active "Title V" program. He worked to have it included with other legislation establishing Americorp and the Peace Corps. Title V provides stipends to workers over the age of 55, as they learn new job skills working in nonprofit agencies. It is now called the MAST program and is administered in Juneau by the Southeast Regional Resource Center.
In Juneau, he was in charge of CETA, a federally funded job-training program within the Alaska Department of Community and Regional Affairs. He also worked with the Alaska Department of Labor, the Alaska Marine Highway and Centennial Hall. He was active in many nonprofit and service organizations, including the Juneau World Affairs Council, the Glory Hole, the Juneau Senior Center, KTOO and the Juneau Artists' Guild.
He was an avid reader. His interests included foreign films, the arts, current events and hiking.
Known all over Juneau as "Harry, " his friends said he left an indelible legacy to the community. They said he was passionately interested in Juneau's history and people and never hesitated to share his knowledge. Fluent in numerous Spanish dialects, he was a committed friend to the Hispanic community, helping them in any way he could to adjust to life in Alaska. In his jobs and extracurricular activities, which also included helping people with their income taxes, his central goal was service to the community, his friends said. His friends said that he is survived in Juneau by the many friends and acquaintances touched forever by his caring nature and special intellectual skills.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 19, at the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at Fifth and Gold streets. A "Celebration of Harry's Volunteerism" will follow at 2:30 p.m. at the Glory Hole.
Donations in his memory may be made to the Cathedral of the Nativity or to any one of his special nonprofit agencies mentioned above. A search for relatives is underway.
Charles Frank Fawcett Sr.
Juneau resident Charles Frank Fawcett Sr., 61, died May 5, 2004, in Juneau.
A 40 Day Dinner will be held at 5 p.m. tonight, June 17, at the ANB Hall, 320 West Willoughby. The family extends an invitation to the community to attend.
Gregory J. LaPoint
Former Juneau resident Gregory J. LaPoint, 36, died of a massive heart attack on Dec. 29, 2003, in Paducah, Ky.
He was born Oct. 13, 1967, in Juneau. He graduated from Juneau-Douglas High School in 1985. He worked at MeadWestvaco, a paper manufacturing company in Wickliffe, Ky., as a control room tester. He was a U.S. Army veteran and of the Catholic faith. He served as a volunteer coach for the West Kentucky Baseball Association in Ballard County, Ky., and enjoyed coaching his son's baseball team during the summer months.
He is survived by sons, Robie and Joey LaPoint; daughter, Leandra LaPoint; father, Robert J. LaPoint of Wickliffe, Ky.; mother, Evelyn D. LaPoint of Tacoma, Wash.; sister, Sherill Lambruschini Zemek of Tacoma, Wash.; brother, James Lambruschini of Tacoma, Wash.; and one niece and one nephew.
Funeral services were held Jan. 4, 2004, at Milner & Orr Funeral Home in Paducah, Ky. He was cremated two days later.
Gery Edward Davies
Gery Edward Davies, 28, died in a boating accident along with his friends, Rick Mills and Mills' son David.
He was born March 20, 1975, to Dwayne and Debbie Davies in Wrangell. His family, his parents and older sisters, Tara and Tabby, lived for a time in Wrangell and Mt. Edgecumbe. They moved to Kake in 1983 because Dwayne and Debbie accepted teaching positions.
He was raised in Kake and graduated from high school in 1994. He continued his education by attending AVTEC, AGC Safety Inc., the Seattle Maritime Academy, the University of Alaska and West Coast Training.
He was a skilled laborer, carpenter, heavy-equipment operator and able-bodied seaman as well as a lifeboat man.
Aside from work and school, he enjoyed many outdoor activities with his family and friends.
"He took pleasure in all he did, " said family members. "He was always there to help when anyone needed assistance. (He was) the first one to roll up his sleeves and give that helping hand. If Gery was not playing outside or helping someone out, you could usually find him sitting in front of his computer or on the phone talking to one of his close friends, his 'twins, ' Vena Stough or Amanda Hanson."
Recently, he was living in Juneau, where he hoped to settle down and was making plans for his future education and employment.
Gery is survived by his parents, Dwayne and Debbie Davies; sisters, Tara (Eli) Lucas and Tabby (Larry) Cutbirth; grandparents, Dean and Joyce Phillips; many aunts, uncles, cousins and close friends from around Southeast; and Henrich and Renee Kadake, whom he considered his adoptive parents.
A Juneau memorial service was held Jan. 5 at Chapel by the Lake. A Kake memorial service was held Jan. 6. Funeral services and a thank you dinner for Gery Davies and Rick and David Mills were held Jan. 7 in Kake.
Richard L. Shew
Former Juneau resident Richard L. Shew, 75, died Dec. 28, 2003, in Aurora, Ore.
He was born Feb. 20, 1928, in Yuba City, Calif. He moved to Juneau when he was 5. He fished commercially for salmon and halibut, and worked for the Alaska Road Commission out of Juneau. While in the U.S. Army during World War II, he was stationed in Alaska.
He moved to Oregon in 1964. He continued commercial fishing off the Oregon, California and British Columbia coasts. He married Sandra Gardner on Dec. 3, 1967, in Stevenson, Wash.
He enjoyed fishing and, in 1973, built his own boat, the Aurora Maid. He also worked for OK Rubber and Buds Auto Repair in Canby, Ore., and was a member of the Maplewood Grange in Aurora for 25 years.
He is survived by his wife, Sandra; sons, Richard and Ronald of Hubbard, Ore.; daughters, Dana Shands of Mount Angel, Ore., Dona Fetters of Canby, Ore., and Bonny Jean Brooks of Canby, Ore.; brother, L. John Shew; 10 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
Mary Elizabeth Cesar
Juneau resident and lifelong Alaskan Mary Elizabeth Cesar, 86, died at Bartlett Regional Hospital on Jan. 12, 2004.
She was born Sept. 26, 1917, in Chilkoot (Haines) to Annie Joe and Theodore James. With the death of her parents at a young age, she was raised by her grandmother, Lilly Klanott Joe, and her grandfather, Charlie Joe, also known as Joe Whiskers because of his red beard.
She spent her early years in the Presbyterian Home in Haines before going to Sheldon Jackson School in Sitka, where she lived until completing the eighth grade. She returned to Haines to care for her grandmother and worked to support the family.
At age 16, she moved from Haines to Juneau and lived with her cousin, Mary Pineda. There she met Santiago (Sam) Cesar, who worked in the Juneau mine and was a commercial fisherman. They married May 6, 1934. They initially lived on a small farm they opened at Auke Bay when the road into town was a two-track dirt road.
Cesar had a motorcycle, which he and Mary rode as a mode of transportation. They eventually moved, selling the property at Auke Bay, purchasing a building on South Franklin Street and opening Dew Drop Inn, a family restaurant. They later moved to a home on Ninth Street. Together they raised seven children: Amelia, Kermit, Delfin, Niles, Ken, Marilyn and Michael, all born and raised in Juneau.
Mary was a devoted mother, the family said. In her early years, she worked three jobs so her children could have a better chance at a good education by going to the Catholic school. She worked at the family restaurant and as a cook in St. Anne's Elementary School. In the summer, the family would go to Hoonah, where she worked in the cannery. In the late 1950s, Mary went back to school to get her GED, then took some college classes so she could get office work. She went to work for the Alaska Department of Revenue in 1960. She retired in 1975.
As a young girl, Mary loved to swim, diving from the cabin of their gillnet and seine boats into the deep waters of the fishing grounds, the family said. She continued this passion throughout her lifetime, frequenting the Augustus Brown swimming pool until two years ago.
Mary, also known as Yaakuxdaa.éit, was Lukaax.adi of the Yeil Hit (Raven House). She was proud of her Tlingit heritage and held high standing in her clan, the family said. She was active in the Native community. She was proud to be the Camp Mother and a lifetime member of Glacier Valley Alaska Native Sisterhood, Camp 70. She was a Sealaska and Goldbelt shareholder and a tribal member of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. She was a member of the Senior Citizens Advisory Council, as well as a member of the Filipino community.
"You could always count on Mary being at functions. She donated generously whenever she could, " her family said.
Mary was preceded in death by her husband, Sam, in 1987, their son, Michael, in 1973, and their daughter, Amelia, in 2001. She is survived by children, Kermit (Andrea) Cesar, Delfin (Marlene) Cesar, Niles (Florence) Cesar, Marilyn (Ted) Wieting and Ken (Jackie) Cesar; 11 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren, plus many tribal relatives and friends.
A rosary will be held at St. Paul's Catholic Church at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16. The funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at St. Paul's Catholic Church. It will be followed by an Alaska Native Sisterhood service at the Tlingit Haida community building. A dinner for friends and family will follow the ANS service.
Honorary pallbearers are Anna Katzeek, Alice Vavalis, Julia Hall, Emma Marks, Ethel Lund, Connie Paddock, Harriet Roberts, Nancy Jackson, Lillian Austin, Irene Lampe, and Ida Beierly.
Jesse K. Akiyama
Former Juneau resident Jesse K. Akiyama, 52, died Jan. 6, 2004, at his home in Aberdeen, Wash.
He was born Oct. 13, 1951, in Seattle to Tak and Hiroko (Kono) Akiyama. He was raised in Seattle and graduated from Franklin High School and the University of Washington graduating class of 1975. On June 26, 1978, he married Maralyn Tauber in Seattle. He served as an intern at Tokuda Drug in Seattle from 1974-1975. From 1976-1979, he worked for Rexall Drugs in Juneau; from 1979-1989 he was director for Bartlett Community Hospital in Juneau; from 1990-1996 he worked for Grays Harbor Community Hospital in Aberdeen, Wash., and from 1996 until his retirement in 2001 he worked for Sunscript Corp in Tukwilla, Wash.
He was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Aberdeen; the Professional Association of Pharmacists and was vice president of Pattison Lake Townhome Owners Association in Olympia, Wash.
He enjoyed collecting coins and Rie Munoz prints. He enjoyed golf, downhill skiing, salmon fishing, cooking and antiques.
He is survived by his wife, of Aberdeen, his parents, of Seattle; daughter, Blair Nicole Akiyama, who is attending college at Washington State University in Pullman, Wash.; sisters, Louise Wright of Ellensburg, Wash., and Nancy Fujimoto of Seattle; and a cousin, Dennis Akiyama of Salem, Ore.
A memorial service was held Jan. 13 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Aberdeen.
Friends are invited to share memories and sign the family's online guest book at www.whitesidefamilymortuaries.com.
Arrangements are by Whiteside Family Mortuary in Aberdeen.
