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Hazel Bernadette Lee
Hazel Bernadette (Bea) Lee, 65, died June 5, 2012, comfortably in her home in Palmer. She was born Jan. 6, 1947, in Lake Charles, La., to Leon Joseph and Hazel Henryetta (Goleman) Hull.
A celebration of life service in honor of Bea was June 9 at the Elk’s Lodge, where many friends and family attended to share their love, laughter and stories of Bea’s life. Even though she was born in the past century she was a woman ahead of her time who did not have a lifelong romance, but she had a lifetime of romances. Her love and passion for others and life was unequaled, and she was a paradigm of love.
“Bea, as she was known to her family and friends, always had a smile for everyone she met and that nearly everyone she came in contact with were happy to pledge their love to her in their thoughts, deeds and just the tone of their voices when they spoke of the legendary Auntie Bea, ” her family wrote.
She was well-rounded in her talents; she was a dog musher, bartender, professional cook and an instructor for “bull cooks” at the Kotzebue Technical Center, just to name a few of her talents. She lived in Alaska and had been everywhere in the state. She raised her family in Trapper Creek, Salcha, Fairbanks, Kotzebue and Anchorage, as well as the Mat-Su Valley.
Hazel was no stranger to tragedy and hardship; she lost her son, Adam, six years ago. She was fiercely devoted to grandchildren, family and friends. She was much beloved by her sisters and brothers-in-law, Memory and Randall Groce, and Theresa and Steve Meier. They helped complete a family that a person can only dream of. Bea will be missed, but never forgotten.
Surviving are her son, Michael Herrick and his wife, Alma; stepsons, Donnie and Jason Lee; daughter-in-law, Sabrina Herrick; nephew, David Smith, who also called her mom and his children; and grandchildren, Miranda, Paige, Elizabeth, Brandon, Jessica, Briana, Rowan and Tressa.
Arrangements were by Alaskan Heritage Memorial Chapel and Crematory in Wasilla.
James L. Mrosla
Wasilla resident James L. Mrosla, 67, died Feb. 5, 2011, in Wasilla. He was formerly of Rice, Minn.
A funeral service is at 2 p.m., Feb. 17 at Emblom-Brenny Funeral Service in Royalton, Minn., and burial is in Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in North Prairie, Minn. Friends may call from noon to 2 p.m. on Thursday at the funeral home in Royalton, Minn.
James Leonard Mrosla was born Sept. 8, 1943, in Brockway Township, Stearns County, Minn., to the late Joseph and Helen (Stiller) Mrosla. He attended Holdingford High School.
After his schooling, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served his country from 1960 to 1962. James worked for a short time in Minnesota as an over-the-road driver. He moved to Wasilla in 1971 and worked as a contracted driver for British Petroleum. He worked primarily in the Prudhoe Bay area on the North Slope. James was known to have nine lives, escaping several close calls with his truck. Jim enjoyed living in Alaska and was an avid hunter, fisherman and outdoorsman. He enjoyed shooting his high-powered rifles. He was a member of the local Teamsters Union No. 959.
Left to cherish his memory are his brothers, Al (Carol) Mrosla of Rice, Minn., Jerome (Bev) Mrosla of Rice and Joe Mrosla of Pierz, Minn.; 11 nieces and nephews; and 20 great-nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Helen (Stiller) Mrosla.
The family was cared for by Valley Funeral Home and Crematory Wasilla.
Alicia M. Storie
Alicia M. Storie, 25, died Jan. 30, 2011.
A memorial service is Feb. 12 at 2 p.m. at the Wasilla Christian Church, 2201 Knik-Goosebay Road, across from the Iditarod Headquarters.
Alicia was born Dec. 21, 1985, in Washington, Mo. She moved to Wasilla in 1994.
She is survived by her father, Tim; daughter, Natalie; brother, Lucas; as well as her grandparents, Fred and Alidia Olson in Montana; her grandmothers, Geraldine Gerschske in Missouri and Ann Storie in Arkansas. She is also survived by many other family members in Montana and Missouri. She will be missed by all who knew her.
Her mother, Teresa, preceded her in death in 2003.
Friends who wish may make memorial contributions to the Alicia Storie Memorial Fund through Valley Funeral Home, 151 East Herning, Wasilla, AK 99654. Proceeds of her memorial fund will be used to help raise her daughter, Natalie.
Valley Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Mary Virginia Smith
Long time Alaskan resident, Mary V. Smith, 82, died March 26 at home of natural causes.
Mrs. Smith was born Oct. 11, 1926 in Jacksonville, Texas to Joseph and Anna Martin. After graduating from Reagan High School in Houston, Texas, she worked for the Navy as a clerk during WWII. In 1946, she married Bill Holbert. With their young daughter, Donnell, they were stationed at Fort Knox, Ky.
In 1950, Mrs. Smith married Capt. William Westfall. While at Fort Knox, their sons, Karl and Keith were born. In 1952 the family was transferred to Fort Richardson where their third son, Kurt was born. After meeting friends who had homesteaded in the Knik area they got the homesteading bug themselves and homesteaded 160 acres on Lake Beth. Eventually they got it right and had two daughters, Katy and Kristi.
After divorcing Bill Westfall and moving back to Anchorage, she went to work for FAA where she worked until her retirement in the1980s. She married Walter W. Smith in 1962. They raised the family in their East Anchorage home. In 1968, she decided to take advantage of the new FAA flying club and earned her private pilot’s license. She also enjoyed adventures in the outdoors — hunting at the cabin and participating in the Gem and Mineral Society’s trips to remote places in Alaska. She especially enjoyed her trips to Iditarod and Flat, Alaska. She was an avid gardener, quilter and photographer.
Her family wrote: “Our mother was very honest and direct and would tell it as it was. She was a generous mother and grandmother with her affection and knowledge. She was always willing to share her wisdom but allowed her children to choose their own way.”
Mrs. Smith is survived by her brother, Larry A. Martin of Alpine, Texas; sons, Keith (LaDonna) Westfall of Big Lake, Kurt (Nat) Westfall of Wasilla; daughters, Katy Westfall Neher and Kristi (Erika) Westfall Jacobs of Anchorage, Donnell (Walter) Wyatt of Henderson, Nevada. Grandchildren, Heather (Arnold) Velasquez of Ignacio, Colo., Heidi Westfall of Houston, Texas, Kortnie and Kaleb Westfall of Big Lake, Mary (Chris) Van Buskirk of Wasilla, Mary Jo (Mick) Neher-Laymon of Chicago, Liberty (Ray) Lally, Spencerville, N.Y., Chelsey Jacobs of Cape Coral, Fla., Buster (Becky) Morris of Casper, Wyo., Charles Guy Morris of Henderson, Nevada and Richard Morris of London, England. Also surviving is her sister-in-law, Anne Burt, of Anchorage and a extended family in the Lower 48. Mrs. Smith was blessed with 11 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Walter W. Smith, son, Karl W. Westfall and granddaughter, Melissa J. Neher.
A memorial service is planned for Thursday at 1 p.m., (visitation will precede the service at noon) at Alaska Heritage Memorial Chapel, 440 E. Klatt Road. A reception following the service will be held at Chester Park Co-op, 2020 Muldoon Road. The family suggests memorials to the charity of their choice.
Lois Ilena Harter
Well-known Chugiak resident and author Lois Ilena Harter, 70, died Dec. 23, 2010, at her home, where she had lived since arriving in Alaska in 1974.
A celebration of life is from 2 to 5 p.m., Jan. 8, 2011, at Iditarod Checkpoint No. 1, VFW Post 9785, 10527 VFW Road, Eagle River.
Lois was born July 5, 1940, in Philadelphia, Penn. She moved with her mother and brother to Brevard County, Fla., where she met and married Ted English in 1958. In 1970, the couple moved with their four children to Phoenix, Ariz., where Ted worked in construction. After four years in Phoenix, the family moved to Alaska.
While Ted went ahead, Lois sold the Arizona home, had a garage sale and loaded the rest of the family belongings into a Chevy truck. She hired a 68-year-old woman, a retired truck driver, packed the four kids and six champion Dobermans into a station wagon and drove her family 3, 700 miles to Alaska, arriving in September 1974.
The first winter was rough for Lois, with lots of snow and short days with “a country between her and her family” — not to mention sliding into a school bus driving in the first snow. Homebound that winter, Lois passed the time writing letters home from the persona of her Dobermans, who soon had all kinds of furry pen pals.
Former dog trainers in Florida and Arizona, it wasn’t long before Lois and Ted were involved in Chugiak’s mushing community — Lois volunteering and Ted mushing. In 1975, the couple was introduced to Joe and Vi Redington and soon became hooked on the Iditarod dream. Lois and Ted would later divorce, but remained lifelong friends.
Lois loved the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race as much as any musher, and the mushers loved her. Throughout her 33 years with Iditarod — first as a volunteer, then an employee — Lois helped set up and served as retail outlet manager, volunteer coordinator, race communications coordinator, race logistic coordinator, education director and original webmaster, wearing many of these titles at the same time. Realizing the invaluable service provided by volunteers, pilots, veterinarians and amateur radio operators, relaying information up and down the 1, 100-mile Iditarod Trail, Lois obtained her FCC amateur radio operator license and brought these eager volunteers into Iditarod headquarters.
Following Libby Riddles’ historic win in 1985, Lois penned “Alaska, Where Men Are Men and Women Win the Iditarod” on a napkin at the Iditarod Awards Banquet in Nome, a slogan soon seen on T-shirts throughout the country.
From her office at Iditarod Headquarters, Lois befriended Zuma, Iditarod’s canine journalist, sharing Iditarod and Alaska with school children around the world through their column, “Zuma’s Paw Prints.” In her spare time, Lois published a successful children’s book about mushing and traveled to schools in Alaska and the Lower 48 sharing Iditarod and Alaska.
In 1998, Lois created and introduced the Teacher on the Trail program, which launched in 1999, notably one of Iditarod’s most successful community outreach programs with classrooms around the world participating in educational activities about Alaska and the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Lois’s contribution and dedication to “The Last Great Race on Earth” cannot be understated.
At home in Chugiak, Lois volunteered as a dispatcher for the Chugiak Volunteer Fire Department, established a support group for people on transplant lists and organized fund-raisers for Alaska’s missing children.
Lois is survived by her four children, Cindy Johnson, Cassandra Kincaid, Michael English and Victoria Coppess and their spouses; 13 grandchildren, Rebekah Hoffman, Jillian Hughes, Banjo Barnes, Echo Pullen, Tesha and Teslyn Milham, Boday Turton, Stephanie, Zachary and Talphus English, and Kayla and Denali Coppess; and 17 great-grandchildren, Tanner, Briannah, Angel, Gavin, Allyson, Isabelle, Riley, Ethan, Elliott, Peyton, Dalton, Adriel, Jordan, Arihanna, Jayden and Kodi; brothers, Rick DeVries of Florida and William Harter of Pennsylvania.
Preceding her in death was her mother, Blanche DeVries, earlier this year and her grandson, Daniel Barnes, last year.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to The Lois Harter Memorial Fund at any Wells Fargo Bank location, account No. 9957573117.
Edith Gillen
Edith Marie Gillen, 83, died Nov. 28, 2010, at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center in Palmer.
A funeral service is at 11 a.m., Dec. 9 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Wasilla with Father Stan Allie officiating.
A memorial service also is scheduled for Dec. 20 at 11 a.m. in Anchorage at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church with Father Scott Medlock officiating.
Edith was born March 9, 1927, in Kearney, Neb. She graduated high school in St. Edward, Neb. She moved to Alaska in 1971 and resided in Anchorage until 1988, and then moved out to Wasilla.
She was a member at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Anchorage and Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Wasilla. She was active with the Legion of Mary and did a lot of volunteer work. She also enjoyed needlepoint, stamp and coin collecting, and camping.
“Edith was a very loyal and loving wife, and as a stay-at-home mom she was always there to provide love and support to all eight children, ” her family said. “Her faith in God and heaven was so deep she had no fear leaving this world and crossing into the afterlife. She was the strongest woman we have ever known, even in death, and we feel even more privileged to be her children.”
Edith is survived by her daughters, Micheleen Goodrich, Catherine Shaw, Sherrie Smith and Penny Gillen; sons, Michael Gillen and Philip Gillen; son and daughter-in-law Christopher and Sue Gillen; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 58 years, James J. Gillen; and her daughter, Shawn Gillen.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to St Jude’s Children’s Hospital, P.O. Box 50, Memphis, TN 38101-0050.
Georgia M. Gregg
Longtime Wasilla resident Georgia M. Gregg, 88, died Nov. 22, 2010, at the home of her grandson in rural Houston. Georgia Mae Diggins was born Oct. 19, 1922, in Cambria, Penn., the daughter of James Mease and Lola Jane (McMasters) Diggins. She was raised in rural Pennsylvania, where she attended school and was later united in marriage to P. Calvin Gregg.
In 1960, the family moved to Alaska where she resided in Fairbanks, Anchorage and Palmer, finally making Wasilla her home until the last month of her life, when she lived with her grandson, Robert.
A homemaker throughout life, Georgia was a loving wife and mother. She was a member of Pilgrim Baptist Church.
“She always put her family first. She loved Alaska and felt it was her home. She will be greatly missed, ” the family wrote.
Survivors include sons, Richard Gregg and his wife Hazel of Yelm, Wash., and Douglas Gregg of Wasilla; grandchildren, Christina Gregg, Lisa Gregg, Leann Gregg and Nathan Gregg, all of Tacoma, Wash., Robert Gregg of Houston, Calvin Gregg, Amanda Gregg, Lori Schmidt and Rose Harrel and family all of Wasilla, James Seates and family of Big Lake and April Gregg of Texas; great-granddaughter, Keri Heaton of Yelm, Wash; as well as one sister, Annabelle Richuiti of Cleveland, Ohio.
Her husband, parents and one son, Jeffrey A. Gregg, preceded her in death.
A memorial service to celebrate her life is at 3 p.m., Dec. 3 at Pilgrim Baptist Church on the Parks Highway in Wasilla. Services will conclude at the church. Valley Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements.
Ronald Lee Short Jr.
Wasilla resident Ronald Lee Short Jr., 45, died Nov. 26, 2010, at home from a heart attack.
Funeral services are 3 p.m., Dec. 9, at Alaskan Heritage Memorial Memorial Chapel, 1015 S. Check Street, Wasilla. Pastor Micky Boyer of Palmer Church of the Nazarene will officiate. Visitation is from 2 to 3 p.m. preceding the service.
Ronald was born Aug. 7, 1965, in Seattle, Wash. He completed high school and three years of college courses. He came to Alaska in 1994 and resided in Palmer until 1997, at which time he moved to Wasilla. He was employed by ASRC Energy Services and was a heavy equipment diesel mechanic in operations and maintenance from 2001 to 2010.
Ron was born premature, tiny and weak, but he grew to have a giant footstep. He loved life, his family, his friends, his work and his hobbies. He made vehicles hum with perfection and houses beam with his woodworking and construction skills. His home is where he played guitar and relaxed in his hot tub. Outside, he fished, hunted, camped and hiked — always with family and friends around him to share his joy.
“Full of energy, always ready for a new adventure, Ron had a hand in nearly every project a member of his family (and friends) undertook, ” the family wrote. “He has fingerprints on nearly everything we own, a place marker showing he was not only here, but a beloved part of all the lives that moved around him. Ron lived large, never wasting a breath and made himself the foundation of his family. He embraced life, the love of his wife, children and the goodness of his friends. We thank the Lord for his presence in our lives and we will miss having him here, but will never give up the part of his that he has made ours.”
Surviving are his spouse, Kimberly K. Short; sons, Christian L. Short, Ronald L. Short III and Justin J. Short; daughter, Amber Ruth Ann Short; parents, Don and Linda Landreth; sisters, Anne Brown and Charlynn Hansen; brother, Victor Short; and granddaughter, Iris Nova Short. He was preceded in death by his paternal father, Ronald L. Short Sr.
John G. Rzepka
Wasilla resident John George Rzepka, 81, died Dec. 3, 2010, at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center in Palme.
A memorial gathering is at 10 a.m., Friday, Dec. 10, at the Wasilla Senior Center Fitness Room. His cremated remains will be buried at Resurrection Cemetery near Chicago in late spring 2011.
John was born Feb. 22, 1929, in Chicago. In his earlier years he worked as a cattle handler in the Chicago Stock Yards. Later he was a maintenance custodian for Ideal Tool and Die Co. He was a dog lover and rescuer.
Family members said: “Johnny made everyone laugh with his life stories. He will be dearly missed by all his family and friends.”
Surviving are nieces and their spouses, Sharon Lasa and Bob Peek of Wasilla, and Carol Lasa and Lou Bailoni, and their children Anastasia and Christopher, all of Chicago, and Cindy Laff of Maine; nephews and their spouses, Dennis and Susan Laff, and their children, Jessica and Allison, and Carl and Candy Laff, all of Chicago; and companion, Mary Hall of Wasilla. He was preceded in death by sisters, Caroline Lasa and Stella Laff; brother, Michale Rzepka; and niece, Marlene Laff.
Arrangements are with Alaskan Heritage Memorial Chapel and Crematory of Wasilla.
