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Martin J. Baker
Nikiski resident Martin J. Baker died at Central Peninsula General Hospital on Saturday, March 31, 2001. He was 49.
A celebration of life will be held 10:45 a.m. Sunday at the Nikiski Church of the Nazarene. Pastor Paul Hartley will officiate. His ashes will be spread in Cook Inlet by his family and friends this summer.
Mr. Baker was born March 3, 1952, in Seattle, where he attended grade school. He graduated from high school in Oak Harbor, Wash. He later served in the U.S. Navy.
He moved to Alaska in 1973 and traveled back and forth between Washington and Alaska due to his job in the fishing industry. He worked as a fish buyer and processor and as a welder.
Mr. Martin was a member of the Church of the Nazarene in Nikiski. He was talented musically and enjoyed playing his guitar. He loved his dog Murphy and playing Santa Claus at Nikiski Day Care.
"He will be remembered for his quick wit and wonderful sense of humor. Marty would want to be remembered for his commitment to Jesus Christ and his effort to honor God, " his family said.
Mr. Martin is survived by his mother, Faye Beard; sisters Vicki Licht, Charlene Conley, Cathy Rodgers and Debbie Wilbanks; his brothers Kenneth Baker and James Beard; his daughter, Brooke Baker; numerous nieces and nephews; and good friends Joyce and Wendell Honea, Vern and Jan Kornstad, Lynn and Bob Deakins, Don and Patti Glaze, Ray Honea and Carl and D'Ann Waggoner, all of whom he considered his "second family."
Memorial donations may be made to the Nikiski Day Care, P.O. Box 8409, Nikiski, AK 99635.
Arrangements were made by Peninsula Memorial Chapel.
Eloise Hershberger
Kenai resident Eloise Hershberger died unexpectedly of natural causes in an Indio, Calif., hospital on Friday, March 16, 2001. She was 68.
Funeral services were held March 22 in Nampa, Idaho. A memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at the First Baptist Church of Port Nikiski in Nikiski.
Mrs. Hershberger was born Sept. 5, 1932, in Kuna, Idaho, to Oliver and Ernestine Marshall. She was reared and educated in Nampa and graduated from Nampa High School in 1950. She attended Idaho State University in Pocatello for one year. She married Fred. W. Hershberger on Aug. 12, 1951, in Nampa. They would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year.
The family moved to Alaska in 1962, where they raised their four children. She resided in the Kenai area for 40 years and retired from Phillips Petroleum in 1994 after 20 years of service as an executive secretary. In previous years, she also worked for Wien Airlines, Western Airlines and the Kenai Health Center. She was an active member of the First Baptist Church of Port Nikiski for 35 years.
Mrs. Hershberger had many talents and varied interests. She loved to travel, raise and work with flowers and had several collections including dolls, dishes, glassware, figurines and plants. After retirement, she discovered a hidden love and talent for quilting and won numerous awards for her quilts in local shows.
"Eloise loved to watch the wildlife and changing of seasons at her lakeside home. Her grandchildren were her pride and joy and her greatest satisfaction was watching them perform in various sports and activities, " her family said.
"She was a fantastic cook and delighted in creating her own special recipes for family and church gatherings. She will leave a large void in the lives of her many family members in Idaho and Alaska and the many community members whose lives she touched. She was a blessing to her family and will be remembered for her compassion and encouraging nature."
Mrs. Hershberger was preceded in death by her parents and one grandson.
She is survived by her husband, Fred; son and daughter-in-law, Gary and Pam Hershberger of Kenai; daughter and son-in-law, Julie and Terry Best of Nikiski; son, Glen Hershberger of Kenai; son and daughter-in-law, Bruce and Melinda Hershberger of Soldotna; grandchildren Casey, Cory, Marie and Brett Hershberger and Mandy and Megan Best; brother and sister-in-law, Ken and Helen Marshall of Twin Falls, Idaho; sister and brother-in-law, Lorene and Gerald Guentz of Nampa; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Alaska Chapter, 511 W. 41st Ave., Anchorage, AK 99503.
Leonard Mabry Rose
Soldotna resident Leonard Mabry Rose died Saturday, March 31, 2001, at Heritage Place in Soldotna. He was 71.
A visitation will be held at 6 p.m. today at Peninsula Memorial Chapel in Kenai. Further services will be held with the Clarksville Funeral Home in Clarksville, Texas. Burial will be in the New Shamrock Cemetery in Clarksville.
Mr. Rose was born Sept. 17, 1929, in Clarksville, where he was raised and educated. He enlisted with the U.S. Army in 1948 and served until 1950. He then served with the Air National Guard and the Army National Guard and was discharged in 1975.
Mr. Rose worked with the Texas Department of Public Safety for many years. In May of 1952 he began working as a patrol officer for the Texas Highway Patrol. He retired from the Department of Public Safety in 1970 and worked many other various jobs, including as a fire chief in Iran, training firefighters in Saudi Arabia and working on the trans-Alaska oil pipeline. He also was the fire marshal in Lancaster, Texas, beginning in 1975. He later returned to work for the Department of Public Safety in Texas. He retired, and he moved to Soldotna in 1991.
Mr. Rose was a member of the New Shamrock Presbyterian Church in Clarksville, Masonic Lodge No. 16 in Texas and the Scottish Rite of the Valley of Dallas. He enjoyed camping, fishing, traveling and cooking.
"He was a dedicated family man, loving husband and father. He loved adventures and loved Alaska. He was a great provider for his family and loved his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was a true leader of men and would do just about anything for anybody, " his family said.
Mr. Rose was preceded in death by his parents.
He is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Dorothy Rose of Soldotna; sons Mike of Bisbee, Ariz., Pat of Sterling, and Bob of Eagle River; grandchildren Heather Skipper, Crystal Dubois, Scott Rose, Pat Rose, Mitch Flake, Becky Kay and Kelley Hieber; eight great-grandchildren; brothers Kenneth Rose of Bonaham, Texas, and Dan Rose of Dallas; sisters Virginia Bowers of Clarksville and Dora Jones of Paris, Texas; and several nieces and nephews.
Memorial donations may be sent to Scottish Rite Hospital, 2222 Welborn St., Dallas, TX 75219-3993.
Arrangements were made by Peninsula Memorial Chapel.
William Brazier
Former Kenai area resident William Brazier died Friday, March 30, 2001, in Dallas due to heart failure. He was 56.
Funeral services will be held Thursday morning at Brookside Memorial Park in Houston.
Mr. Brazier was employed by Phillips Petroleum as an instrument technician and worked at the Nikiski plant from 1976 to 1981, at which time he returned to Texas to live and work.
He is survived by his wife, Gale; sister, Suzanne Fernandez, of Mexico; children Stephen Brazier of Texas, and Tracey Withrow of Sterling; and grandchildren Sydney and Cheyenne Brazier and Evan and Keeley Withrow.
In lieu of flowers, Mr. Brazier requested donations be made to the Pregnancy Help Center, P.O. Box 6523, Katy, TX 77491. Cards can be sent to his family in Texas in care of Gale Brazier at P.O. Box 181807, Dallas, TX 75218, or to his family in Alaska, in care of Tracey Withrow at P.O. Box 1259, Sterling, AK 99672.
Julianna Dennis
Nikiski resident Julianna Dennis died Saturday, March 31, 2001, at Central Peninsula General Hospital. She was 60.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Monday at the North Star United Methodist Church, Mile 25.5 of the Kenai Spur Highway. Pastors Dale Kelly and John Henry will officiate.
Mrs. Dennis was born on July 8, 1940, in Santa Rosa, Calif. She moved to Alaska in 1964 and lived in Anchorage from 1964 to 1975. She then moved to Glennallen and resided there until 1980. In 1981, she moved to Homer and in 1989 to Nikiski.
She worked as a hair stylist at J.C. Penney Co. in 1964, the Vogue Beauty Shop in Anchorage in 1967 and later owned her own shop, Haircutters, in Glennallen and Homer. She also worked at the Healy Hotel in Healy in 1966.
Mrs. Dennis' interests included researching her family genealogy and helping her friends and neighbors.
"Julie was aunt, grandma and friend to all. She had open arms for everyone and loved all children. She dressed half the kids in Nikiski and helped their families when they needed it, " her family said.
"Julie was there to help stray and homeless dogs and cats. She would take them under her wing and either keep them or find them a home. She will be so deeply missed and leave a big hole in all our lives.
"She devoted the last 12 years to raising (nephew) Will and (niece) Tiffany (Trumbly)."
Mrs. Dennis was preceded in death by her husband, Gary Dennis.
She is survived by her daughter, Suzy Genter, and Genter's companion, Theodore Stanton; grandsons John Henry Genter and Theodore David (Doc) Stanton; adopted son, Shane Foster; nieces Tiffany Trumbly and Diane McLaern; nephews Will and David Trumbly; mother, Mary Juanita Trumbly; sister, Mary Glynn; brothers David and Calvin Trumbly; and her extended family of friends in Nikiski.
Arrangements were made by Peninsula Memorial Chapel.
Solofua "Sonny" Lavea
Kenai resident Solofua "Sonny" Lavea died Sunday, April 1, 2001, at Central Peninsula General Hospital. He was 71.
A private service was held. Mr. Lavea's ashes will be buried on the Big Island in Hawaii with his children attending at a future date.
Mr. Lavea was born April 9, 1929, in Honolulu. He served in both the U.S. Army and the Marines during the Korean War. He worked as a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service for more than 20 years. Mr. Lavea moved to Alaska in 1997 and resided in Kenai.
Mr. Lavea loved the outdoors of Alaska and his card games with his friends.
The family wrote, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, dad had peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Dad made peace and entered heaven."
Mr. Lavea is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Hinano and Danny Angon, of New Mexico; sons and daughters-in-law Spencer and Kainoa Lavea of Hawaii, Keone and Sarah Lavea of Hawaii, Lambert and Bettina Lavea of Kenai, Mong and Sialoa Lavea of Anchorage; grandchildren, Kulani, Keoni, Hi'ilei, Kauwila, Kahikili, Isaiah, Jordan, Kae'o, Maile, Linson, Liloa, Lehua, Olani, Kapena, Kaniela and Kayla; and his close companion, Rosemary Wiese of Anchorage.
Arrangements were made by Peninsula Memorial Chapel.
Donna Jean Volker
Former Alaska resident Donna Jean Volker died Friday, March 30, 2001, in her home in Great Falls, Mont. She was 65.
Memorial services will be held in Great Falls on Friday.
Ms. Volker was born on Oct. 6, 1935, to Webster and Lillian Becker and grew up in Great Falls. She had her first child in England and three more in Great Falls. In 1968, she moved to Germany, then to Alaska in 1971 with her children. She moved back to Great Falls and worked at the Deaconess Hospital Nursing Home.
"Donna made it a mission to be 'family' to those in the nursing home whose families couldn't be there. She never just worked '9 to 5, ' but daily would arrive early for work to open curtains, fix coffee and visit with the patients in the nursing home, " her family wrote.
"She knew their families when they would come to call, and her compassion and sense of humor helped to brighten what were often the last days, weeks or months of those she cared for.
"She would often tend to their needs as if they were her own children and always had a smile to share with them and a tender hand to comfort them.
"She gave us all a life full of love and always had a shoulder for us to cry on, and an incredible smile for us to brighten our day. Small of stature, perhaps, but in her loving hands she held the universe and showed us all how to love and care for one another and for those around us."
Ms. Volker was preceded in death by her sister, Sharon Vikse; and her parents, Webster and Lillian Becker.
She is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law Denise and John Cerutti of Missoula, Mont., and Debbie and Matt Boyle of Nikiski; sons Bill of Afognak, Dean of Seattle and Craig of Japan; grandchildren Ayisha, Jalal, Desiree, Trevor and Arianna Volker, Tahra and Tiffani Cerutti, Breanna and Tatiana Butler and Walker and Logan Boyle; niece, Diane Larson; and great-niece, Megan Larson.
The family asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Kenai Animal Shelter.
Thomas Henry Fulton
Longtime Alaska resident Thomas Henry Fulton died at Mercy Hospital in Roseburg, Ore., on Monday, Feb. 12, 2001, of cancer. He was 76.
A gathering will be held in June for his family and friends in Alaska, at a time and place to be announced.
Mr. Fulton was born to Thomas H. Fulton and Mary Pederson at the Alaska Railroad Hospital in Anchorage on April 10, 1923. He was a descendent of the Russian explorers who came to the Kenai Peninsula. He served in the Civilian Conservation Corps before World War II and enlisted in the U.S. Army at Fort Lewis, Wash., in 1942. He was sent back to Alaska to serve his time in various bases, including in the Aleutian Chain.
Mr. Fulton was sent to Fort Lewis to be discharged in 1946, after which he returned to Alaska in 1947 to make his home. He and his brother, Bob, fished commercially in the Cohoe area on the Kenai Peninsula in the early 1950s.
Mr. Fulton was a heavy equipment operator and helped to build many of the highways throughout Alaska, including the Seward, Sterling, Parks and the North Slope Haul Road, to name a few. He also worked on the international airport in Anchorage, the Eklutna Power Plant tunnel, Point Woronzof waste tunnel and treatment plant, the Valdez Oil Terminal and the trans-Alaska oil pipeline.
He made his home in Sutherlin, Ore., since 1992. After Mr. Fulton retired, he traveled with his second wife, June, throughout the west coast, playing his guitar at nursing homes, hospitals and senior centers, including in Soldotna and Kenai. This opened many doors for him, and he was able to make many friends. The group he played with, The Westernaires, traveled to rallies throughout Douglas County in Oregon, where he became well known as a musician and for his willingness to help others with their music.
"He enjoyed hosting his friends in his home and cooking a special meal when he entertained. He loved to play his guitar and liked to help others who were having problems learning about their instruments. He would travel many miles just to play and give others joy listening to the music his little group played, " his family said. "He volunteered his time so that others who were ill might have something to look forward to while living in nursing homes and hospitals. Many of the patients in these places never had anyone coming to see them or any mail, so this was a bright spot in their day."
Mr. Fulton was a member of the Mount Susitna Masonic Lodge, Moose Lodge in Anchorage, a charter member of the Kenai Elks Lodge No. 2425, and American Legion Post 20 in Kenai. He was a 50-year member of the Operating Engineers Local No. 302.
Mr. Fulton was preceded in death by his first wife, Arlene Stiles Lawrence, who died in Anchorage in 1981.
He is survived by his wife, June, who is in a convalescent home in Oregon; brother and sister-in-law, Robert and Willa Virginia; nephews James and Ramon Fulton; nieces Brenna Brian and Therese Guest, and her husband Nigel, all of Anchorage; great-nephews Morgan, Steffan and Steven Fulton; special friend, Miriam Wolcott, of Sutherlin; and many relatives and friends in Alaska.
Memorial donations may be sent to the Children's Travel Fund, Al Aska Shrine Temple, 1930 East Northern Lights Blvd., Anchorage, AK 99508.
