SKAGWAY BOROUGH & Hoonah - Angoon Census Area

OBITUARIES

MARY BEATRICE JOHNSON ANGOON - Lifelong Angoon resident Mary Beatrice Johnson, 82, died June 21, 2005, at Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium in Sitka. A funeral was held June 25 in Angoon. Mrs. Johnson was born Aug. 8, 1922, in Angoon to the late Charlie and Katherine John. She was a member of the Eagle moiety, Teikweidee Clan and was a child of the Chookaneidi. Her Tlingit name was Aandei yaana goot, meaning "Going to town." Her childhood was spent in Angoon, where she met her late husband, George Johnson Sr. of the Raven Clan. They were wed in 1939 in Angoon, where they made their home with their 11 children. After her husband's death, she went to work for the Angoon Senior Center as a kitchen aide assistant for the elderly program. "She took great pride in her work with the elderly and also in her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren," her family said. "She had the best prayers for everything. They were straight from her heart and displayed her strong faith in the Lord. "Her door was always open to anyone. She had many friends, never too far nor too few. This made her a perfect fit for her lifelong enrollment in the Alaska Native Sisterhood. She was also enrolled in Tlingit & Haida and was a shareholder of Sealaska, Kootznoowoo and Goldbelt." Besides her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by her brothers, William John, Walter John, David John, Ronald John and Peter John; and sister, Annie Bell. She is survived by her sisters, Martha Jackson of Kake and Alice Bennet of Juneau; children, George Johnson Jr. of Angoon, Arnold Johnson Sr. of Sitka, Stanley Johnson Sr. of Angoon, Leonard Johnson of Juneau, Grace Sharclane of Hoonah, Genevieve Willard of Juneau, Velma Paul of Juneau, Lorena Macasaet of Klawock, Gloria Plummer of Juneau, Georgia Johnson of Angoon, and Annie Braley of Angoon; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren throughout Southeast Alaska, Anchorage and California.

KAREN HALL PARSONS The Rev. Karen Hall Parsons died Friday, Jan. 30, 2009, after a brief illness, surrounded by her family at Paoli Memorial Hospital, Berwyn, Pa.Karen is survived by her husband, Steve;, daughter, Anna; son, Will; parents, Ted and Jackie Hall, North Wilkesboro, N.C.; and sister, Paige Hall Smith, Chapel Hill, N.C. Karen was the niece of the late Hazel Davis Johnson and Jessica Davis Cameron, both of St. Augustine. She is survived by many cousins including Kaye, Kevin, Chris and Brian Battell, and Patrice Shumaker, St. Augustine. Karen was an ordained Presbyterian minister and Parish associate of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Berwyn. She was also founder and owner of Mainline Green Home in Berwyn.Karen was born in 1961 in Greensboro, N.C., and raised in North Wilkesboro, N.C. She graduated from Wilkes Central High School, Appalachian State University, and Richmond Theological Seminary. She and her family lived for a time in Skagway, Alaska, where she was minister of the First Presbyterian Church. She served pastorates at Unity Presbyterian Church in Fort Mill, S.C., and Huntersville, N.C. She was also interim minister at several small churches in Mecklenburg County, N.C.Karen will be remembered for her generosity of spirit, her creativity, her gifts of teaching and preaching and the light that she carried and shared throughout her life.A memorial service will be held at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Berwyn, at 11 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2009. A second memorial service will be held at the North Wilkesboro Presbyterian Church, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009.Memorials in her honor may be made to the Gift of Life Donor Program, 401 N. 3rd St., Philadelphia, PA 19123 (www.donors1.org) or the National Brain Tumor Society, East Coast Office, 124 Watertown St., Suite 2D, Watertown, MA 02472 (www.braintumor.org).Alleva Funeral Home, Berwyn, Pa., in charge of arrangements. (St Augustine Record, 02/04/09)

WILLIAM TROFFER Anchorage resident William "Bill" Troffer, 64, died suddenly on July 16, 2009, while working at Prudhoe Bay. He was laid to rest on July 22 at Angelus Memorial Park in Anchorage. Bill was born to Vivian and Frank Troffer on Aug. 25, 1944, in Oak Harbor, Wash. After graduating from Goldendale High School in 1963, Bill first joined the Teamsters union and then the Laborers, and started his career as a driller and a blaster. Bill came to Alaska in the mid-1970s, first working in Skagway, then moving on to Prudhoe Bay and finally to Nome in 1975. It was in Nome that he met Marge Warnke, whom he married in 1984. After 10 years in Nome, Bill and Marge settled in the Anchorage area and he continued his lifelong career working on projects throughout Alaska, the last few years at Prudhoe Bay. His family wrote: "Bill's favorite past-time was traveling in his camper with his boat in tow, to camp and fish in the Seward area. The last trip occurring over the 4th of July weekend. He also loved the quiet hours spent at his workstation tying flies and he was very proud and generous when sharing his creations with family and friends. Bill also mastered the ability to marinate and grill his catch and these wonderful dinners that we looked forward to will be missed by all who were fortunate to partake. "Bill had a very strong work ethic of which he was very proud and he expected the same of those he supervised and trained on each project. His main concern was always the safety of his crew and if one did not possess the same work ethic as it applied to safety, it was the first issue to be dealt with. Many found him to be gruff and tough, but his family and close friends knew the other side and experienced the compassion and love, more so when it came to the children whom he cherished dearly. Over the past few years, Bill often spoke of retiring but no sooner would he come home from the job, he was either called or talking about having to go back; it was always 'one more year' or 'pretty soon.' "Bill is survived by his wife, Marge; sister, Verna; daughter, Mindy and husband Jay; sons, Tim and Kevin; stepdaughters, Birdie, Cootus, Darla, and Tissy and her husband Rick. He also leaves his nieces, Candy and Cathy; many grandchildren; and his little buddies Jax and Pidge. He will be missed. Happy fishing. Arrangements entrusted to Kehl's Legacy Funeral Home & Crematory.

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