OBITUARIES OF ALASKA'S PIONEERS (E - L) As extracted from "END OF THE TRAIL" a feature article of Alaska - The Magazine of Life on the Last Frontier William Morris III, Publisher and Ken Marsh, Editor Editorial and Advertising Main Offices 4220 B St., Suite 210 Anchorage, Alaska 99503 Extracted and contributed by Melanie Cox , with permission expressly granted by Ken Marsh, Editor - Beginning April 5, 1997 USGenWeb Project NOTICE In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format for profit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express written permission from the author, or the submitter and from the listed USGenWeb Project archivist. For specific word searches, use the "Find" or "Search" feature of your browser. End of the Trail Courtesy of Alaska - The Magazine of Life on the Last Frontier Founded in 1935 as The Alaska Sportsman Notices are limited, because of space, to names of those who have achieved pioneer status through many years in the North, or who have made significant contributions to the state. (Items in parenthesis added by Melanie Cox to indicate year of death and edition date of magazine in which the extracted article can be found.) SURNAME INDEX: ECKERT thru LUKE ECKERT, LILLIAN 93, died Jan. 6 (1996) in Palmer. Married to Virgil Eckert, the couple was Matanuska Valley colonists, moving to Alaska from a Midwest farm with just two weeks notice. The couple farmed in Alaska for 30 years, later establishing the Hillcrest Nursery and other businesses. (4/96) EMERSON, FRED 91, died April 6 (1995) at the Sitka Pioneers' Home. Coming to Alaska in 1941, he was a machinist on the crew that built the Whittier tunnel. He worked in construction throughout the state, sluiced for gold for 22 summers in the Porcupine area, and lived in the Chilkat Valley for 35 years. (8/95) EVANS, DOROTHY `DOR' 78, died May 22 (1995) in Juneau. Shortly after her marriage in 1942, she and her husband traveled via steamship to Juneau, where she worked as a purchasing agent for the territory and later for the state Department of Administration. Her family said one of her proudest accomplishments was the log cabin she and her husband built by hand on Lena Point in Juneau. (9/95) FARRELL, VIRGIL ROGER 92, known as the “Admiral of the Eskimo Navy, died Feb. 25 (1995) in Arizona. Best known for his management of the Bureau of Indian Affairs ships (the North Star, North Star II and North Star III) from 1947 to 1973, he moved to Nome in 1933 to begin a 40-year career with the bureau. He also is credited with founding the Alaska Native Arts and Crafts Association. (7/95) FEJES, JOE 81, a longtime Fairbanks resident, died Feb. 10 (1996) in California. Born in Hungary, he settled in Fairbanks in 1946 with wife Claire and worked as a gold miner in Flat. He was active in forming the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra and toured around the state with its chamber orchestra. He donated violins to the Fairbanks Youth Symphony and formed a scholarship fund for young musicians. He and his wife opened and ran Alaska's first hobby shop and first art gallery in Fairbanks. (7/96) FRANZ, CHARLES JULIUS 86, died March 16 (1996) in Washington. Born in Herendeen Bay near Port Moller, he helped build the Dutch Harbor airstrip during World War II and served as a state representative from Port Moller. He pioneered the Franz Point commercial salmon operation near Nelson Lagoon and also owned a commercial flying service there. The Charles J. Franz High School at Nelson Point is named after him. (7/96) FROST, SUSAN 96, a fluent speaker of Russian, Aleut and English, died Nov. 7 (1994) in Kodiak. Born in Afognak, she experienced the 1912 Karmai volcanic eruptions, recalling that Afognak residents scraped the ash off their potato patches, ensuring potatoes for the winter, but Kodiakans did not. (3/95) FRY, CLARENCE E. 84, died Dec. 30 (1995) in Sunshine. He came to Alaska in 1934, and was a member of Local 302 of the Operating Engineers for more than 50 years. His friends said: "Clarence loved everyone and everyone loved Clarence. He was an avid talker, and gold mining was his favorite topic." (5-6/96) GABRIEL, MOSES PAUL 64, former Alaskan, died May 10 (1995) in Seattle. During the 1970s, he learned to read and write his native Gwich'in language and was a bilingual teacher in his home village of Chalkyitsik. A gifted scholar, he helped interview storytellers and transcribed many folktales from tape recordings. For several years he worked as a linguist for the Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. (9/95) GILKISON, MARGARET ELLIS 80, died Oct. 24 (1995) in Washington. As a young widow she moved to Alaska in 1936 looking for adventure. She married Chet Ellis, who ran a second- hand store in Juneau. The couple fished the trolling boat Hope and smoked salmon for sale at their homestead behind Auke Lake for many years. She later worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Juneau, and at Wrangell Institute. (3/96) GILLIAN, ELIZABETH IRENE 92, died July 15 (1996) in Sitka. Born in Wrangell, Gillian was a member of the Naan Ya.aayi clan from the Mud Shark House and was known as the last living Tlingit princess. She worked as a waitress in Pelican and Juneau, and was well-known for her smoked fish, homemade breads, pastries and Native foods. Gillian also loved to make fried bread and other treats for neighborhood children. (11/96) GRAVES, IRENE 84, died May 5 (1996) in Kodiak. Born in Afognak, throughout much of her life she worked in canneries on the west side of Kodiak Island, including Port Bailey and Uganik. She performed many services for the community, as nurse, undertaker and midwife. She lived for many years in Ouzinkie, where she was known as "Babooka," which means "the person who brings you into the world." (9/96) HAALAND, DOROTHY AWES 77, died Feb. 23 (1996) in Washington. She was a member of the last territorial legislature and a former Alaska Constitutional Convention delegate. She was one of the fist women to be admitted to the bar in Alaska and served as assistant attorney general for 16 years. She loved reading and playing cards. (7/96) HAFEMEISTER, MARGARET 87, long-time resident of Seward, died May 21 (1995) at the Anchorage Pioneer's Home. A history of her 25 years as a social worker in Alaska resides in the archives of the University of Alaska Anchorage. Her family said, "Margaret will be remembered by the many who loved her for her generosity and her strength of spirit." (9/95) HAGGARD, HARVEY O'NEAL 80, died Dec. 9 (1995) in Fairbanks. From 1959 to 1975 he taught photography and math at Lathrop High School. He served as president of the state National Education Association. He retired and started Fairbanks Fast Foto, the first color photo lab in Fairbanks. One of his sources of pride was a picture he took in Munich, Germany, the photo won the Kodak Community Service Award for "People Helping People." (4/96) HANBURY, WILFRED SR. 78, a longtime commercial seine fisherman and student counselor at the Wrangell Institute and at Mount Edgecumbe High School, died Oct. 15 (1994) in Sitka. A Native Alaskan, he served in World War II and received a battlefield commission to first lieutenant during the liberation of the Philippines. A devoted family man, he took his family on vacations and shopping sprees, and frequently took his wife dancing and for unplanned trips on the ferry. (2/95) HARRIS, ETHEL M. 75, died July 30 (1996) in Anchorage. Harris was employed in several banks in the Fairbanks area from 1949 to 1979, retiring as manager of Fort Wainwright Federal Credit Union in 1979. She was Mrs. Fairbanks in 1966 and was listed in Who's Who in American Women in 1986. She served on the board of directors for Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, was a 4-H leader and a member of the Zonta Club. (11/96) HARRIS, NINA KRAUN 93, a lifelong Alaskan, died May 17 (1996) in Anchorage. Born in Uashik, she worked as a commercial fisherwoman, a cannery cook, and as a village midwife, delivering many babies in the Naknek area. Harrison loved church, crocheting, berry picking and trapping beaver. (9/96) HARRIS, RICHARD TIGHE 83, died July 20 (1996) in Gustavus. Born in Juneau, Harris was the grandson and namesake of one of Juneau's co-founders. Harris worked 38 years for the city of Juneau's street department, building many of the city's stairways. In 1947 he and a co-worker won the first Golden North Salmon Derby in Juneau--the prize was a car and a trophy. He was a member fo the Alaska Native Brotherhood and had a Tlingit chief's name, Kowna-da-kee-nah. (11/96) HASTY, LEWIS A. 84, died July 13 (1996) in Anchorage. Hasty moved to Alaska in 1949, making his permanent residence in Seward. He was employed as a commercial fisherman, telephone lineman and longshoreman in Seward until his retirement in 1967. Hasty won fourth place in the 1972 Silver Salmon Derby and collected usable items from the community disposal sites for donation to those in need. He was a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason and active in Pioneers of Alaska. (11/96) HAYES, VERA C. 88, died March 20 (1995) at the Palmer Pioneers' Home. Moving to Palmer in 1949, she became the Matanuska Valley's first Avon representatives, and was head cashier at the Alaska State Fairgrounds from 1957 to 1970. (8/95) HERING, STELLA NOREEN 93, a longtime Alaska, died May 13 (1996) in Fairbanks. Born in Yukon Territory, Canada, she moved with her family to the Interior in 1904. Hering worked as a volunteer caregiver during the 1917 Fairbanks flu epidemic, and saw President Warren Harding drive the golden spike to signify the completion of the Alaska Railroad. She was Queen Regent at the 1952 Fairbanks Winter Carnival, and a life member of Pioneers of Alaska, Auxiliary No. 8 (9/96) HERNING, HAROLD Pioneer Harold Herning, 79, died Jan. 21 (1996) in Fairbanks. Herning, and his brother, Carl came to Alaska in 1938. As children, their interest in the territory was sparked by their father's stories about being shanghaied from the streets of San Francisco to work for two years on a German whaling ship along the coast of Alaska. Soon after arrive, he worked in McKinley (now Denali) National Park, caring for the park's dog teams. Within a year he became a ranger, staying in the Park Service until 1944 and working with biologist Adolf Murie on his classic study, The Wolves of Mount McKinley. Herning married his first date, Beatrice Fox, a girl with whom he picked blueberries in the park. The couple moved in 1942 to Fairbanks, where they homesteaded on Chena Hot Springs Road in 1951. Others members of his family lived on adjoining homesteads. Herning worked as a miner, aircraft mechanic for Wien and Northern Consolidated airlines, contractor, carpenter, and general handyman. For many years he served as Sunday school teacher and deacon at First Baptist Church. Herning's family said he truly lived the commandment, "Love thy neighbor as thyself." Last spring he advised his great-niece, Katie: "Live your life to the fullest. Every day treat your fellow man how you would like to be treated; every man should take the time to count his blessing and see the sunrise and sunset, and appreciate the world that God has given us." --Fairbanks Daily News-Miner [photo] (5-6/96) HIPPE, KENNETH D. 64, died May 9 (1996) in Anchorage. Born in Wisconsin, Hippe moved in 1962 to Alaska, where he was employed by National Bank of Alaska. He helped start Alaska Pacific Bank, now Key Bank, in the 1970s. He also owned and operated Advance Vessel Agency, which serviced foreign ships that arrived in Alaska's ports. He enjoyed gardening, hunting, cooking, boating and volunteering for his church. (9/96) HOLLEMBAEK, BYRON `BARNEY' 69, who was committed to developing Alaska's agricultural potential, died March 27 (1995) in Fairbanks. His enterprise, called Alamasu, operated farms in Palmer and Delta, where the family grew grains and grasses for seed, and raised purebred Angus, buffalo, domestic and wild pigs, and elk. Hollembaek served on former Gov. Jay Hammond's Agricultural Task Force and on the Western Sun Committee, which explored alternative power sources. (9/95) HOOPER, GEORGE 75, a lifelong resident, died Oct. 27 (1994) in Tununak. He was highly skilled at living off the land; worked 14 years at the Tununak Native Store; and was a Native dancer, drummer and singer. His family said, "He was well-known for his hospitality. Many of the state politicians on the campaign trail had coffee at his house. He greatly enjoyed the camaraderie of the qasgiq, or Eskimo steam bath, and was a great practical joker." (3/95) HOPPER, DOROTHY "DOTTIE" 70, co-owner of the Road's End restaurant and bar at Chiniak on Kodiak Island, died Oct. 20 (1994) in Anchorage. She had worked at the Chiniak Track Station in Kodiak and on the trans-Alaska pipeline. (2/95) HYDEN, EDITH K. 87, died May 8 (1995) in Anchorage. After 18 years operating the Elmendorf Air Force Base kitchen snack bar, she retired and then volunteered more than 20,000 hours for numerous organizations, earning the title, "Mrs. Senior Citizen of Anchorage," in 1983. (8/95) IHLY, MAGDELENE "MADGE" ROSE 90, died Jan. 15 (1996) at the Anchorage Pioneers' Home. She was proud that she could take shorthand dictation at 125 words per minute. Arrive in Anchorage in 1944, she worked as secretary for the U.S. Commissioner, and later for an insurance company and for the U.S. Post Office. (5-6/96) JARMAN, LLOYD R. 79, died June 19 (1996) in Seattle. Born in Juneau, Jarman was taught airplane mechanics at age 15 and went to work for Alaska-Washington Airways, Marine Airways and Aalaska Coastal Airlines. He always carried a camera to photograph aviation history in Southeast Alaska. His photographic collection is now in the Alaska State Library in Juneau. (11/96) JOHN, ELSIE 85, died Dec. 9 (1995) in Minto. In their youth, Elsie and her husband, Minto tribal leader Peter John, lived a semi-monadic life, traveling traplines in the winter and living in fish camps in the summer. She was a midwife, and bore 11 children of her own, all but three of whom died when they were young. (4/96) JOHN, JOSEPH 95, Tanana's oldest elder, died Sept. 15 (1994) in Tanana. As a student at a missionary orphanage in Nenana, he was taught English. At 14, after completing his schooling, he returned to his home, where he became the interpreter for the village's chief. Going to meetings with the Department of the Interior in 1916 meant a long canoe trip upriver. Men would pull themselves with poles against the river's current. (2/95) JOHNSON, GEORGE L. 85, died Dec. 21 (1994). During his early years in Anchorage, he owned the Skyline Cleaners and The Washateria. In 1967 he started work at the Fort Richardson Commissary. When he retired in 1994, he was honored as the oldest civil service employee in the United States. (7/95) JOHNSON, JAMES SR. 89, died Feb. 22 (1996) in Fairbanks. Born in Kokrines on the Yukon River, he enjoyed trapping, hunting, and fishing. To help with the government's attempt to reintroduce reindeer into Interior Alaska in the 1920s, he took up reindeer herding near Ruby. James was well-known for his woodworking abilities, making sleds, snowshoes and intricate picture frames out of willow wood. (7/96) JONES, TED MONTE 77, a watchmaker, died Sept. 24 (1994) in Anchorage. He worked as a watchmaker in Anchorage and also served as the sole watch repairman for the Alaska Railroad, traveling up and down the line, doing all the critical repair work on the clocks and watches. (2/95) KASKO, ED 72, a noted Tlingit woodcarver, and silversmith, died Jan. 20 (1995) in Anchorage. His specialty was mask-making, but he also carved totems, helping to carve the 132-foot pole displayed at Expo '70 in Japan. Kasko was a traditional headman and clan-appointed caretaker of the Killer Whale clan house in Klukwan. (8/95) KEITHAHN, ANTOINETTE MARIE 94, well-known for her silkscreened renderings of totemic designs, died Nov. 23 (1994) in Oregon. She and husband Edward L. Keithahn accepted their first teaching position in Shishmaref in the 1920s; their experiences are recorded in Ed's book, Eskimo Adventure. After teaching in Kake, Hydaburg and Wrangell, the family moved to Juneau, where Ed was curator of the Alaska Territorial Historical Library and Museum. (3/95) KENNY, MICHAEL 57, a Roman Catholic bishop who was head of the Diocese of Juneau since 1979, died Feb. 18 (1995) in the Middle East. In 1991 he organized a reconciliation service to apologize for the church’s past wrongs against Native Alaskans. (7/95) KETURI, ELMER 89, a longtime Alaska resident, died March 7 (1996) in Washington. Keturi came to Alaska in 1929. He walked over the mail dog trail, approximately 400 miles, from Nenana to Flat, via Takotna and Ophir, where he had a job on a gold dredge. He also operated gold mines near Flat, Sleetmute and Bettles. He was a life member of Pioneers of Alaska (Igloo No. 4). (7/96) KING, CLARA LOUISE 103, died Feb. 23 (1996) in Palmer. Born in Missouri she moved to Alaska in 1931 with husband Kent. They cleared land in the Matanuska Valley near King's Lake to build their log home. The couple worked as vegetable and dairy farmers until 1943, the year Kent died. In 1949, she opened the first variety store in Palmer. She loved to knit and make beaded jewelry. (7/96) KINNEAR, BLAKE H. 73, died Dec. 16 (1995) in Washington. He crewed on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife cutter Crane and ran the cutter Grizzly Bear before getting involved with the fishing industry in 1951. He crewed on boats and worked for fish processors in Port Graham, Seldovia and Uganik. He also was a partner in the Pacific Pearl cannery in Kodiak. He had been a manager for Pan Alaska Fisheries and Trident Fisheries. In 1989 he helped direct the Kodiak fleet in the cleanup of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. (4/96) KNAPP, FRANCES KNAPP 92, (1996) a longtime Skagway resident, died Jan. 27 (1996) in Juneau. Born in New York City in 1904, she found her calling as a dramatic dancer in the 1920s with a popular dance and vaudeville touring company. She came to Alaska in 1963 for a visit, fell in love with Skagway and its people, and never left. She was a savvy businesswoman and community activist. Dec. 16, 1993, was proclaimed Jewell Knapp Day by Skagway Mayor Stan Selmer. (7/96) KRANICH, ARLEEN 93, homesteader, postmaster and community leader in Homer, died May 4 (1995) in Anchorage, where she had lived at the Pioneer's Home for the past four years. She came to Alaska in 1928 to marry Bob Kranich, a sheep rancher at Chernofski on Unalaska Island in the Aleutians. The couple homesteaded in Homer in 1935 after reading a newspaper article that called Homer the "Shangri-la of Alaska." While serving as Homer postmaster from 1944 to 1971, she and her husband operated the Family Theater from 1957 until 1971. The Kranichs helped organize many Homer organizations, including the Homer Library, Public Utilities District and Homer Electric Association. (9/95) KROTKE, WALTER G. 81, a longtime Alaska, died May 27 (1996) in Anchorage. Born in Indiana, Krotke came to Alaska with his wife and son via steamship in 1943. He worked for Star Airlines, now Alaska Airlines, until his retirement in 1977. Krotke caught a record silver salmon in 1964, and his story appeared in the June 1965 National Geographic. He loved hunting and fishing, and was a member of Pioneers of Alaska. (9/96) LAKE, KATHERINE B. 88, died Dec. 17 (1995) at the Fairbanks Pioneers' Home. She moved in 1936 to Fairbanks, where she taught school and worked as a photographer; her photos were sold as slides at Griffins Studio. For more than 30 years she presented the Marion Frances Boswell Award, established in honor of her late sister and given to the outstanding graduating senior female student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. (4/96) LANDON, THOMAS FRANKLIN 97, one of the last Alaska veterans of World Ward I, died Feb. 18 (1995) in Juneau. Arriving in Ketchikan in 1922, he made Alaska his home for the rest of his life, working as a prospector, trapper, commercial fisherman, maintenance man, power dispatcher and construction worker. (7/95) LANGSDALE, VERA I. 75, Homer resident and lifelong Alaskan, died Aug. 22 (1994) in Homer. Born in Kiana, she moved in 1947 with her husband and five children to Homer. Her family said she enjoyed family gatherings and had a longtime concern for indigent people. "Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, she managed to feed someone who had less than she had." (2/95) LAROSE, CLYSTIA E. 87, who arrived in Alaska in 1935 with the first group of Matanuska Valley colonists, died March 27 (1995) at the Palmer Pioneers' Home. She and her family developed a vegetable and dairy farm in the Palmer area, later developing a homestead on Lazy Mountain. (9/95) LEWIS, GEORGE 82, a boat builder, carpenter, silversmith and mill workers, died April 9 (1995) in Juneau. He lived the past 31 years in Haines. His hobbies included fishing and boxing. Lewis was a lifetime member of the Alaska Native Brotherhood and had served the Salvation Army for 45 years. (8/95) LINCOLN, SOPHIA 93, one of the few remaining members of the Ahtna/Athabascan clan, died Feb. 17 (1995) at the Palmer Pioneers' Home. Born in Copper Center, Lincoln trapped with her late husband, Louis, in Tolsona, before settling back in Copper Center, where they raised eight children and numerous grandchildren, and had a fishwheel campsite on the Copper River. (8/95) LOFTUS, THEODORE A. 94, who came to Alaska in 1922 with his brothers, Art and Jule, died March 14 (1995) in Oregon. The three brothers homesteaded near what is now the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where they were among the first 10 to enroll. Loftus received an engineer of mines degree in 1928 and worked as a mining engineer for Fairbanks Exploration Co. for about 40 years. 8/95) LOWELL, ETHYL "BABE" 93, died Feb. 28 (1996) in Fairbanks. She moved in 1926 with husband Ted to Fairbanks, where they transported supplies along the Richardson Highway by truck. She retired as a chief deputy U.S. Marshal in 1971. To enjoy their golden years, the couple built a log home on their 320-acre homestead, living off the land and enjoying their magnificent view of the Alaska Range. (7/96) LUKE, SOLOMON 77, an elder of the Caribou People, died March 22 (1995) in Nenana. He was an accomplished woodsman who seldom left home without a camera in one pocket and a harmonica in another. Every spring for the past 25 years he served as watchman for the Nenana Ice Classic. (8/95) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - As extractions are added to these pages, they will be kept in alphabetical order. When the volume of data becomes too large for the current pages, it will be divided into additional pages, as size dictates, and an alphabetical index will be maintained as part of the AKGenWeb Archive Table of Contents.