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Frank Glade Wright Sr.
Former Haines and Hoonah resident Frank Glade Wright Sr., 78, died April 4, 2004 at Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital in Sitka.
He was born May 2, 1925, in Haines. His birth name was Shaan dei eesh, and he also was known as Kush deet kul'gaai. He was a leader of the Chookaaneidei Clan, of the Eagle tribe of the Tlingit nation. He attended school in Hoonah, and then served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He received the Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic Pacific Theater Ribbon and the World War II Victory Medal. He lived in Sitka for the past 17 years.
He served as an elected member of the Hoonah School District Board of Education while his children were attending school. He was a lifetime member of the Alaska Native Brotherhood; and a shareholder of Huna Totem Corp., Sealaska Corp. and Shee Atika Inc. He was a member of the Russian Orthodox Church.
His special interests included playing basketball, deer hunting, subsistence gathering for his community and being an advocate for education and the various sports for young people. He was an avid supporter of teaching Tlingit culture and heritage to the children of the Tlingit nation.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Emma (Wright) Martin, Kiyat Kaw-da gon, a Chooken Shaa; and his father, George Martin Sr., Yik-x of the L'uka xadi clan.
He is survived by his wife, Anita; children, Irma Button of Sitka, Sharon Parks of Huachuca City, Ariz., Frank Wright Jr., Paul Wright, Charlie Wright, Phyllis Snively, Sam Wright, Deborah Wright, Margaret Wright, all of Hoonah, Jim Howard of Anchorage, Larry Gamble, Tom Gamble, Arlene Discher, all of Sitka, Dan Gamble of Renton, Wash., Geraldine Castonguay of Kodiak, Bob Gamble of Juneau; siblings, Louise Benson of Lynwood, Wash., John Hinchman Sr. of Sedro Wooley, Wash., George Martin of Hoonah, Philip Martin of Juneau, Sam Martin, Alice Cooper and Jennie Baldwin, all of Sitka, Marlene Johnson of Seattle; numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Services were held in Sitka.
Joseph Judson
Longtime Juneau and Hoonah resident Joseph Judson, 70, died April 10, 2004, in Anchorage.
He was born Jan. 5, 1934, in Angoon and attended Hoonah High School. He was Kaagwaantaan of the Eagle Nest House. He was a fisherman and logger in Skagway and Hoonah. He was a member of Sealaska, Huna Totem and Tlingit and Haida.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Mary Judson and Albert Dick; siblings, Helen Flood, Lillian Fawcett, Lydia Elliott, Naomi Kawosh, Priscilla Corpuz and William Dick (brother).
He is survived by his sister, Rachel (Chuck) Jennings of Stanwood, Wash.; brothers, Albert Judson of Juneau, and Richard Dick, of Skagway; aunts Martha Nelson and Mary Starr of Angoon.
Services were held Saturday.
Bonita McEwen
Longtime Juneau resident Bonita "Bonnie" Gail McEwen, 61, died April 19, 2004, in Juneau.
She was born March 9, 1943, in California to Paul and Helen Emil.
Her family said she loved quilting, spending time with her dogs and working with gardening and landscaping.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
She is survived by her brother, Wally Emil; daughters, Collette Bergerson, Annette Johnson, Lindy Burkhart and Cindy McEwen; sons, Brent McEwen, Greg McEwen and Steve McEwen; three sons-in-law and two daughters-in-law; 16 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
A memorial will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, April 23, at the Valley Chapel (Back Loop) with a reception immediately following at 4461 Albatross (off of Taku Boulevard).
Michael Fenster
Longtime Juneau resident Michael Joseph Fenster, 57, died April 15, 2004, in Juneau.
He was born Oct. 25, 1946, in Los Angeles, Calif., to Marvin and Teresa Fenster. He moved to Juneau with his parents at the age of 1. He graduated from Juneau-Douglas High School in 1964. During high school, he worked at Channel Bowl, which his parents owned and operated. He was also involved in managing the high school basketball team.
He graduated from Northrop Institute of Technology with a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering. He then served in the National Guard for six years. His lifetime passion was aviation, and he learned to fly while attending college. In 1971, he worked as the chief pilot for Southeast Skyways. From 1975 to 1982, he was chief pilot and director of operations for Channel Flying, based out of Juneau and Sitka. He flew to many of the communities in Southeast Alaska and made friends that lasted his lifetime. In 1982, he joined with Bob Jacobsen and Drew Haag to form Wings of Alaska. He was vice president of Wings from 1983 to 1991.
He joined the Juneau Fire Department in 1972 in what was then Company No. 3. He was assistant chief of volunteers from August 1984 until 1998. In 1991, while actively involved in the volunteers, he became a full-time assistant chief for Capital City Fire/Rescue. In recent summers, he flew tourists to the Taku Lodge several evenings each week. In the past several weeks, he had been excited to start flight training with a new Turbine Otter for Wings.
His family said he enjoyed playing golf, attending the opera, hunting, fishing and spending time with his friends.
He is survived by his wife, Dru Fenster of Juneau; daughter, Nicole Pegues of Oregon; brother, James (Vickie) Fenster of Palmer; sister, Susan (Jim Ryan) Redmond of Bakersfield, Calif.; nephew, Sean Sewill of Bakersfield, Calif.; and niece, Jessica Redmond of Ridgecrest, Calif.
Services will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 25 at Centennial Hall, with a reception to follow at the Wings of Alaska hangar.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Heart Association or to Hospice and Home Care of Juneau. The family can be contacted at P.O. Box 020235, Juneau, AK 99802-0235.
David W. Spirtes
Former Southeast Alaska resident David W. Spirtes, 55, died from complications related to kidney and lung cancer on April 15, 2004, in New York.
He was born Dec. 14, 1948. He was a 1970 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. He spent many years in Northwest and Southeast Alaska as a park ranger and park superintendent for the National Park Service. He moved to New York in 2003 to serve as superintendent of Fire Island National Seashore. Prior to leaving for New York, he served nine years in Northwest Alaska, first as superintendent of Bering Land Bridge National Preserve and later of Western Arctic National Parklands in Kotzebue, where he oversaw operations in National Park Service units totaling 11.7 million acres. Earlier in his career, he had worked as a seasonal ranger at Katmai National Park and as chief ranger at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. He spent his entire adult life in public service, working more than 30 years with the National Park Service. His NPS career began at White Sands National Monument and took him to Grand Canyon, Everglades, Glacier, Gulf Islands, Yellowstone, Glacier Bay and North Cascades national parks. Prior to joining the National Park Service, he served in Vietnam as a pathfinder and infantryman with the 101st Airborne Division, United States Army.
His friends remember him as a passionate advocate of Alaska's national parks who worked tirelessly to involve local communities in park management issues such as wilderness and subsistence opportunities. He was a strong supporter of the Beringian Heritage International Park program, which brought together Russian and American researchers, Native groups and communities in Siberia and Northwest Alaska. Spirtes was honored with the Secretary of Interior's Meritorious Service Award in 2000.
He is survived by his wife, Kathy, and young daughter, Alexandra.
Private services were held Monday, April 19, in New York. The family suggests memorials be sent to the National Park Foundation's Fund for Western Arctic National Parklands, P.O. Box 1029, Kotzebue, AK 99752.
Paul Robert Emerson
Juneau resident Paul Robert Emerson, 89, died June 8, 2004, in Juneau.
He was born in 1914 in Boston, Mass., the youngest of three children. He left school in 11th grade to help support his mother, but he was a prolific reader and continued to educate himself. He went to sea in 1936, sailing from Labrador to Argentina in the merchant marine. He came ashore and took up carpentry in 1940. World War II sent him back to sea in February 1942, sailing in a convoy to run the German blockade and deliver munitions to Murmansk, Russia. He then joined the US Navy where he trained salvage divers in underwater carpentry and seaman's skills. He was awarded the Atlantic War Zone Bar and the Merchant Marine Combat Bar.
After the war he worked as a carpenter, and also as a correspondent for the Daily World. He and his first wife moved from the East Coast to Washington state in 1952. They moved to Seattle in 1958 where he assumed duties as editor for the northwest edition of the Peoples World, a position he held for 10 years. He remarried in 1970 and took his new wife and step children to live in Cuba, where he served as a correspondent and as an English language editor for Radio Havana. They returned to Seattle where he worked in carpentry and union organizing until he moved to Juneau in 1976.
He lived in Juneau 28 years. He was active in many community organizations, including the Mountainview Tenants Council, the Carpenters Union, Gastineau Historical Society, and Juneau Common Ground. In Juneau he worked first as a carpenter, then with the weatherization program for Southeast Alaska Community Action Program, and finally tending plants in commercial buildings, hauling chlorine-free water from Gold Creek.
He was an avid hiker and activist in trail conservation with Juneau Trail Mix, SAGA, and Taku Conservation Society. He was a hiker and ski leader for Juneau Parks and Recreation, learned to ski at age 65, and hiked the Chilkoot Trail three times between ages 69 and 75. He co-authored the historical Perseverance Trail Guide and edited the book 90 Short Walks Around Juneau.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister; a brother; a stepdaughter; his first wife, Ruth Emerson; and his second wife, Marjorie H. Rabbitt, who died in Juneau in 1979.
He is survived by three stepchildren, Rebecca, Tom, and John Rabbitt of Seattle, Wash.; his stepgrandson, Patrice Givens; and numerous nieces and nephews in Massachusetts as well as many friends worldwide.
A potluck dinner and celebration of his life will be held at 5 p.m. Friday, July 23 at the Auke Recreation Area.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Trail Mix, (P.O. Box 35693, Juneau, , AK 99803) or KTOO Alternative Radio (360 Egan Drive, Juneau, AK 99801). Eulogies may be sent in care of Pam Finley, 820 Sixth St. 99801, Juneau, AK 99801. For more information call Mary Lou King at 789-7540.
Kibby Wagenius Robertson
Former Juneau resident Kibby Wagenius Robertson, 48, died Sept. 16, 2003, of multiple sclerosis at her home in Palmer.
She was born Jan. 25, 1955, in Alexandria, Va. In April 1958, she moved to Alaska. She was a resident of Bethel, Juneau, Yakutat, Nikiski and Anchorage before moving to Palmer.
She worked for the State of Alaska Library, State Troopers-Stream Guard in Juneau, North Star Hospital, First National Bank, Government Office for Disabilities and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife in Anchorage.
She was a member of the Chapel by the Lake, Juneau; St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Anchorage; Holy Spirit Episcopal Church, Eagle River; Eagle River Presbyterian Church, Eagle River; and the Palmer United Protestant Church (Presbyterian Church, USA).
Though she had earned a bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Alaska Anchorage, her family said her unfulfilled wish was to be a nurse midwife.
"We will always remember the beautiful smile and sparkling, fun-loving person Kib has been, " her family wrote. "As well as her tenaciousness and witness to her faith in Jesus Christ that was expressed as she experienced the ravages of her disease."
She was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Sevard and Amanda Wagenius; maternal grandparents, Thomas and Sydney Blessing; aunt, Margaret Balzart; and cousins, Michael Blessing and Mary Bangs.
She is survived by her parents, Sevard and Sandra Wagenius of Palmer; sisters, Sydney Zariczny and family of California and Rebecca (Ronald) King of Colorado; brothers, Sevard (Rebecca) Wagenius III of Ketchikan and Eric Wagenius of Wasilla; paternal aunt, Betty (Dr. Ronald) Christianson of Hinckley, Minn.; maternal uncle, Thomas (Patricia) Blessing of Edina, Minn.; nieces, Melody, Sandra and Andrea Zariczny of California, and Rachael Cranston of Ketchikan; nephews, Jessie, Ronnie and Kevin King of Colorado; great-nephew, Damien Cranston of Ketchikan; caregiver, Carmencita Pingco of Chugiak; and friend since the 6th grade, Sidney Fadaoff.
Family suggests memorial donations to the Hospice of Mat-Su or the Palmer United Protestant Church (PC USA).
A memorial service will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at Palmer United Protestant Church (Presbyterian Church USA). Arrangements were made with Evergreen Memorial Chapel, 737 E Street, Anchorage.
Marie Swanson
Former longtime Juneau resident Marie Swanson, 88, died June 24, 2004, in Tualatin, Ore.
She was born Elma Marie St. Martin on Nov. 18, 1915, in Stevenson, Wash., to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph St. Martin. Her two sisters were left orphans when their parents died within two days of each other, while she was in grade-school. She and her younger sister spent their remaining grade-school years at the Christie Boarding School at Marylhurst in Lake Oswego, Ore.
She attended high school in Portland, where she found an interest in bookkeeping. Following high school, she studied for and received a degree as a registered nurse from Providence Hospital in Portland. Later, she would successfully complete a three-year correspondence course in accounting, receiving the equivalent of a bachelor's degree in that field.
She married Leslie E. "Red" Swanson on Sept. 28, 1935. They purchased a 10-acre "stump ranch" in the upper Hood River valley and made their home there. During the 1940s, she worked as a registered nurse and surgical nurse in the hospital in The Dalles, Oregon. She also drove a taxicab and rode as a medical assistant on the ambulance. Red worked for the Oregon Lumber Company, and during WWII he was sent to Southeast Alaska to obtain high grade spruce timber for the construction of gliders.
After the war, the Swansons moved to Juneau in 1946. Marie worked as a surgical nurse at St. Anne's Hospital for several years. She then worked as a dental assistant, receptionist, bookkeeper and lab technician, making bridges and false teeth for Dr. Williams, a dentist whose offices were on South Franklin Street.
In the mid-1950s, she went to work for the territory of Alaska in the payroll section of the Bureau of Public Works. After statehood, she was promoted to payroll section supervisor. During this time, she also did undercover work on the state ferries, exposing theft in the restaurants, bars and gift shops.
In the early 1970s, she lived briefly in Nenana, where she worked as a fill-in cook on barges running up and down the Tanana and Yukon Rivers. She returned to Juneau and worked as an accountant for the Department of Health and Social Services. When the Longevity Bonus program was established, she was selected to be its first director, setting up the program in the Department of Administration. In that capacity, she traveled extensively throughout the state conducting seminars in how the program operated. She retired from state government in the early 1980s.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Red; two sisters; and parents.
She is survived by two sons, Joe and Leslie; and four grandchildren.
She was interred beside Red at the Oddfellows Cemetery in The Dalles, Ore. In lieu of flowers or other memorials, and in light of her life-long enjoyment good restaurants, the family asks that anyone who would like to properly remember Marie take a senior citizen out for a nice dinner and say a toast to Marie.
Paul Edwin Shaw
Former Juneau resident Paul Edwin Shaw, 73, died Sunday, Dec. 28, 2003, in Lady Lake, Fla.
He was born Jan. 2, 1930, in Lawrenceburg, Tenn. While living in Juneau, he owned and operated Alaska Nursery Company and also taught the first landscaping course at the University of Alaska Southeast. He retired as a landscape architect and nurseryman and made his home in Lady Lake, Fla. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge in Leesburg.
His family said he loved the outdoors, fishing, hunting and music.
He is survived by his wife, E. Faye Shaw of Lady Lake, Fla.; mother, Flora Shaw of Waynesboro, Tenn.; sons, Larry Shaw of Huntsville, Ala., John (Alice) Shaw of Bennington, Vt.; daughters, Patti (Royce) Locke of Waynesboro, Tenn., Brenda (Chip) Sims of Leesburg, Fla.; brother, Joe Shaw of Waynesboro, Tenn.; 11 grandchildren, including Kit and Jaime Watts, and Jacob Sims, all of Juneau; and eight great-grandchildren.
Internment service will be on July 18, 2004, at Shaw Cemetery in New Prospect, Tenn.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for family and friends to plant a tree or shrub in his memory.
Margaret H. Bergquist
Juneau resident Margaret H. Bergquist, 78, died Feb. 27, 2002, at the Juneau Pioneers' Home.
She was born July 10, 1923, in Kalama, Wash., to Bill and Amy Hobaugh. She attended Prairie Bible Institute in Three Hills, Alberta, for three years before she married Roy Bergquist on Sept. 3, 1945, at Lake Sammamish Bible Camp in Issaquah, Wash.
They immediately left for missionary service in the West Indies islands of Haiti and Guadeloupe, where they served for 16 years. During this time, they had three daughters, Bonnie, Janice and Gail. In 1961, they moved back to the United States, where their son, Randy, was born. From 1962 until 1988, they served together as pastor and wife in nine different churches. In their retirement, they helped Randy begin a church in Seattle and then moved to Juneau in 1991. Margaret moved into the Pioneers' Home in 1998.
Her family will remember her as a loving mother who was always there to help someone else along the way.
She is survived by her husband Roy Bergquist; daughter and son-in-law Bonnie and Rich Shattenberg; daughter Jan Mesdag; daughter and son-in-law Gail and Ted Fosket; son and daughter-in-law Randy and Sandra Bergquist; 16 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m., Wednesday, March 13, 2002, at the Juneau Pioneers' Home.
