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Felicia 'Queenie' Braun
April 1910 – May 2009
Felicia “Queenie” Braun passed away in Freeland, Washington on May 16, 2009. Born April 16, 1910 in Seattle, she was orphaned in 1918 and raised in a Catholic orphanage. In 1934 she married Joe “Brownie” Braun (deceased, 1983), and in 1935 she hopped on a steamship and followed him to Juneau, Alaska, where he had taken a job in the San Francisco bakery.
Felicia adapted to life in Alaska with surprising ease. Her initial home was a small, one-room cabin (no plumbing, no electricity) that Joe had built seven miles outside of Juneau. It was here that their only child, Jay, was conceived in 1938. From there they moved to McKinley Park (another small cabin with outhouse), where Joe had landed a job as a park ranger. Following the McKinley stint, they went on to work in Anchorage, then ran a fur-trading roadhouse in Gakona. The Gakona job netted enough savings to buy a partnership in the bakery business back in Juneau (the “Purity Bakery”) in 1947 where they lived for three years. They then moved to Petersburg, and ran another bakery for three years, not yet ready to settle down somewhere.
Finally, in 1953, they moved to Skagway where they established “Brownie’s Bakery, ” and stayed for the next 25 years: Joe and Felicia had finally found a place to call “home.” Their son, Jay, completed high school here, then went off to college, and an eventual academic career in neuroscience.
It was here, in 1958, that Felicia developed her act as “Queenie, ” an aging dance hall girl. She went on to establish herself as an entertainment fixture in Skagway, performing the act for about two decades. Felicia totally invented Queenie, both the costume and the personality. She imagined and mimed the experience of having danced with all kinds of men, and all styles of dancers, including “Soapy, ” who, in her act, backed her into a spittoon! Other characters held her too tight, too loose, too low, or they were too fresh or poorly coordinated. By herself, in the middle of the main floor of the Eagles Hall, with only piano accompaniment, she held the stage to the delight of thousands of tourists and her fellow performers in the Days of ‘98 show.
In 1978 Joe and Felicia retired to Joe’s boyhood home of Wenatchee, Washington, where Felicia made a whole new life for herself, and made many new friends. She moved to Freeland, Washington 30 years later to be closer to her grandchildren. During her life in Washington, the highlight of her year was often the Skagway Reunion get-together held annually in Bellevue.
Felicia’s many friends and family will miss her wonderful sense of humor, incredible resourcefulness, stories of pioneering life in Alaska, and her warmth and generosity. She is survived by her son, Jay Braun, and his wife, Sara, of Tempe, Arizona; grandchildren, Jodie Philp of Langley, Washington, and Jason Braun of Coupeville, Washington; and by three great grandchildren.
For most of her adult life Felicia eschewed formal religion of any kind. But if asked about her beliefs, she would say, “I belong to the Round Church where the devil can’t get me in a corner.” And so far as anybody can tell, he never did.
Raymond Carder
Jan. 1925 – April 2009
Former homesteader of Lutak Inlet near Haines, Raymond F. Carder died April 24, 2009, at St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham, Wash. He was born Jan. 25, 1925, in Fort Monroe, Va., to Frank Carder, an American military officer, and Gorgette Madinier, a French immigrant cook.
After withdrawing from 11th grade to serve in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1945, he returned to Hopewell High School in Virginia to graduate. He attended the College of William and Mary almost a year before he withdrew due to a football injury. In 1947, he headed north over the newly constructed Alcan Highway to Haines to become a stockholder of Port Chilkoot Co. Broke and finding no work of sustainment, he moved to Skagway where he drove his own cab, long-shored and was a gandy dancer for the White Pass railroad.
Involving himself in the local culture, he acted in the “Day’s of ‘98, ” joined a men’s basketball team and started a private, after-hours home brew parlor. When filmmakers for the Hollywood film “Harpoon” came to town, he landed a small role as an extra harpoon thrower.
Through friendships with the locals, he learned the Alaskan techniques for fishing, hunting and trapping. In Skagway, he met and fell in love with the “Queen of the Yukon, ” Viola Sullivan. After a fiery romance, they were married in 1949.
In 1956, he moved his family of five to Haines. He began work as a tanker dock pump operator for the Army Department of Defense Petroleum Distribution Center while homesteading the north end of Lutak Inlet near the Chilkoot River.
In Lutak, he cleared land and built two homes, a summer cabin and a boat moorage. He led a subsistence lifestyle of hunting, fishing, trapping, crabbing, gardening, smoking fish and canning. In the early 1980s he sold out in Lutak to retire in Juneau.
“Raymond always will be remembered for his adventurous stories about his childhood and Alaskan experiences, his kindness and generosity and his love for Alaska - its people, its land, its waters, its spirit, ” his family said.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Viola Carder; daughters, Jeanetta Weedman and husband, Walter, and Simone Martin and husband, Bradley; sons, James Carder and wife, Hanh, and Michael Carder; grandsons, Duane and Raymond Weedman, Jimmy Ray Carder and Gregory Carder; granddaughter, Christine Carder; step-granddaughter, Dorothy Baz, husband, Alex, and their children, Alexandria, Alex and Monique; sister, Jeannine Carder, of Colorado Springs, Colo.; brothers-in-law Larry Sullivan, of North Pole, and Michael Sullivan and wife, Patty, of Yuba City, Calif.; and sister-in-law Lola Sullivan, of Pocattello, Idaho.
A memorial service will take place in Alaska this summer. Condolences may be mailed to Viola Carder, 4895 Dory Ct., Blaine, WA.
Gwen Ibbotson
Sept. 1947 – June 2009
Our loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend, Gwendolyn Ibbotson, passed away peacefully at her home on June 29, 2009, after a courageous two-year battle with cancer.
Gwen was born to Donna Lassley and Wayman Mervin on September, 3, 1947. After graduating from high school, she moved to Nampa, Idaho to live near her sisters. It is there, where she met the love of her life and soul mate, Ed Ibbotson. They were married on March 10, 1967. They lived in Nampa for the next 15 years with their two daughters, Dawn and Kay.
In 1982 the family packed up and moved to Skagway, Alaska, their home for the next 27 years.
Gwen enjoyed her summers working at Richter’s with her many close friends, taking walks with Ed and their two dogs (Buddy and Toby), traveling the Alaska Highway with Ed, and wherever it took them. She especially treasured every moment she had with her four grandchildren, whether it was watching movies, the many sleepovers, making her special pancakes, or cheering them on from the bleachers. She was very proud of her family.
Gwen was preceded in death by her father, Wayman Mervin, and her step-father, Jerry Lassley. She is survived by her husband of 42 years, Ed Ibbotson; two daughters, Dawn Brown and husband Jeff of Bow, Washington, and Kay Ackerman and husband Rick of Skagway; her grandchildren, Michael and Sydney Brown, and Nicholas and Alex Ackerman; her mother, Donna Lassley of Nampa, Idaho; sisters Mariann Acree of Nampa, and Lou Jean Schell and husband Jerry of Caldwell, Idaho; brothers Cecil Mervin and wife Pam of Portland, Oregon, and Jerry Kim Lassley ; sisters-in-law (sisters at heart), Pat Weeks and husband Bill, and Mabel Gutenberger and husband Illerd; and many special nieces and nephews.
Gwen was a very brave, kind and caring woman. Even through her courageous battle of the last two years, she was most concerned with others. She will always be missed but never forgotten.
A service will be held at the Skagway Presbyterian Church on Saturday, June 25 at 10 a.m. followed by a reception in the Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Home Hospice Care equipment for the Dahl Memorial Clinic in memory of Gwen Ibbotson.
Ross Lofton
Sept. 1949 – April 2009
Longtime Skagway resident Ross Lofton succumbed to lung and brain cancer at his home on April 27, 2009.
Ross was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on September 20, 1949. He was a Vietnam Vet and came to Skagway in the early 1970s to work on the railroad with his friend Carl Rose.
He was a loving and devoted father and friend.
Ross was preceded in death by his “wife” Robin Lingle in 2007. They were both taken from us too early.
Ross is survived by two sons: Jake of Juneau, who is working between construction job and fishing vessels; and Nate of Seattle, who is working in radio for the 17th year.
Ross was a warm-hearted man and is dearly missed by his friends and family.
Meg Hahr
Nov. 1967 – June 2009
Former Skagway resident Margaret (Meg) Hahr, 41, of Munising, Mich. died suddenly on June 21, 2009 following a mountain bike accident.
Meg was born on November 19, 1967 in Plainfield, NJ. After graduating from Rutgers University, her loving and adventurous spirit brought her to Niger, Africa with the Peace Corps. Her passion for the outdoors led her to employment with the National Park Service in 1998, while completing her Masters Degree at the University of Montana. It was during this time that she met her husband, Sidney Shaw, and they began their life together. Her service with the Park Service allowed them to live in such beautiful places as Glacier National Park in MT, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Skagway, Kenai Fjords National Park in Seward, and most recently Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Munising, MI. She was Chief of Science and Natural Resources in Pictured Rocks when she died.
Meg was always one to fully engage in the act of living life, and to participate at all levels, at all times. Her kindness was infectious, and her energy and spirit inspirational. She completed a Yoga Instructor’s Course in Costa Rica, and was constantly exploring the outdoors and the world with her husband and friends. She was an amazingly balanced and centered individual who knew how to find and celebrate the joys in life, and who touched all our lives for the better.
Meg is survived by her husband, Sidney Shaw of Munising, MI, her parents Arthur and Barbara Hahr of Plainfield, NJ, and her sister and brother-in-law Nancy and Neil Weidner and their family.
NPS released this statement about losing Meg: “The National Park Service lost a friend, colleague, and advocate with the passing of Meg Hahr, Chief of Science and Natural Resources at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore…. She was an accomplished natural resource professional, liked and admired throughout the Alaska, Intermountain, and Midwest Regions.
“Colleagues from across Alaska often commented on how lucky we were to have Meg on the NPS team. Her deep commitment to park resources was evident in all she did. She thrived on furthering the NPS mission; whether conducting
field work along the remote Alaskan coast, coordinating vital sign monitoring, or collaborating with her many colleagues throughout the NPS. Her thoughtful and energetic approach to resource management advanced the resource management programs significantly at each of her duty stations.
“We will sorely miss Meg, she was a star and an asset to the National Park
Service. Meg exemplified those things that have made the parks in Alaska so
successful, being a contributing member in the small communities where she lived. Just as when living in West Glacier, MT; Skagway, AK; and Seward, AK; Meg and Sidney had quickly integrated themselves into the fabric of the local Munising, Michigan community; partaking in music, conservation, and yoga among other interests. There is much for all of is to learn from the example she set.”
A memorial service and reception to honor her life was held on July 6 at Jewell Gardens in Skagway. Sidney Shaw attended. The service included a reading and invitation to all to say a few words. Additional memorial services are being held in New Jersey, Michigan, and Montana.
Since Meg felt most at home outdoors and believed in the preservation of wilderness areas, a fund has been established with the Nature Conservancy in her name. Donations to this fund, in Meg’s name and honor, are preferred to flowers or other memorials.
Please call this number or send money to the following address, and mention that the donation is in Meg’s name: 1.800.628.6860; Nature Conservancy, PO Box 6020 Albert Lea, MN 56007-9824; Account #: 12005888.
Jack Brown
August 1925 – January 2010
Former Skagway and Juneau resident Jack W. Brown, of Iberia, Mo., died Jan. 4, 2010, at Lake Regional Health System in Osage Beach, Mo. He was 84.
He was born Aug. 6, 1925, in Huntington, Ind., to the late Calvin and Freda (Leu) Brown. He married Marjorie Lee Brown on Aug. 27, 1959, in Juneau.
The Browns later moved to Skagway, where he was a longshoreman and they operated a gift shop and the town’s cable TV service until they moved to Missouri in the early 1980s. He was involved in many youth activities. He was very dedicated to serving the communities he lived in and was a successful business owner, his family said.
He was preceded in death by four sisters.
He is survived by his family: wife Marjorie of the home; Jack Brown Jr., and wife, Malea, and their children, Garrett and Tye, of Laramie, Wyo.; Jill Henderson and husband, Grady, and their children, Katie and Jake, of Saginaw, Texas; Bob Brown and wife, Dana, and their children, Chelsea and Cody, of Osage Beach; Sandra Brown, of Flemington; and daughter, Heather Brown of Preston; Tom Brown and wife, Jenny, and their children Zach, Megan, Trey and Ethan, of Rolla, Mo.; and two sisters, Betty Roberson, of Logan, Utah, and Gerry Thompson, of Huntington, Ind.
A private family memorial service will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Alzheimer's Foundation. Arrangements were made under the direction of Fancher-Rekus Funeral Home in Iberia.
Vasilis ‘Babe’ Lavrakas
July 1917 – December 2009
Vasilis “Babe” Lavrakas, 92, died on Dec. 19 in Kerrville, Texas, of heart failure with daughter Dimitra and son Jim at his side and Mozart overtures playing.
He was born in July 1917 to Greek immigrants Fotini and Apostolou Lavrakas in Watertown, Mass. The exact day of his birth is clouded by the Greek Orthodox Church’s use of the Julian calendar.
Family legend has it that he read every book in the Watertown Public Library by the time he attended Massachusetts State College, where he graduated with a bachelors of science in organic chemistry and a minor in German. He later earned his masters in nuclear chemistry from Tufts University.
Enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1942, he was a replacement officer during the Invasion of Normandy and an anti-aircraft platoon assistant leader. Torn about entering the war, the thought of killing was abhorrent to him, “But Hitler was such a bastard, I knew he had to be stopped, ” he later said.
In 1944, he was injured in Germany when his truck hit a land mine. The silver screw used to reconstruct his foot was a constant wonder to his children, who tried to bring him to school for “show and tell, ” but he declined. Hospitalized in England, Babe spent the remainder of the war as a letter censor. Babe received the Purple Heart, was promoted to 1st lieutenant and returned to the states in1945.
In 1946, he married Joanna Thanos, whom he met when he was 20 and she 12, at his grandfather’s home. “I liked her, she made me feel comfortable, and she was a great conversationalist, ” he recounted.
He retired after 32.5 years as a professor of chemistry at Lowell Technological Institute (known as “The Poor Man’s M.I.T”).
Among other things that marked his life, he was a Boy Scout leader, a wood craftsman, an American Tree farmer, a history buff, and a supporter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Babe and Joanna built a cabin in Little Tutka Bay off Homer, Alaska, spending 18 summers fishing avidly and reading the Declaration of Independence for the tiny bay’s celebration of the Fourth of July. His ashes will be spread there at a later date.
The couple also spent two summers in Skagway, where he helped his daughter build a house.
“Plagued with nightmares since the war, and unable to sleep through the night, Babe will now enjoy a deep rest, leaving a legacy of love of literature and poetry, classical music and opera, the outdoors, hard work, rocks and a nice big piece of chocolate cake, ” his family said.
His departure came a day before Joanna, who was blinded in September by an autoimmune disease, moved to Calfornia.
And so it would seem that Babe’s passing exemplifies one of his favorite sayings, “When you got to go, you got to go.”
He is survived by his wife Joanna; son and daughter-in-law James and Ruth Lavrakas of Ketchikan; grandsons Gabriel and Nickolas Lavrakas of Anchorage; daughter Dimitra Lavrakas of Skagway; grandson Alexios Lavrakas Moore of Brooklyn, New York; daughter Faye Lavrakas of Sunnyvale, Calif., and granddaughter Alissa Lavrakas Wilkinson and husband, Ben, and great-grandson Jacob of San Mateo, Calif, ; son and daughter-in-law Robert and Melanie Lavrakas of Kerrville, Texas. Donations can be made to Volunteer Services at the Kerrville, Texas V.A. for Hospice Care or donate a pig through Heifer International.
Tim Arnold
September 1960 – April 2010
Tim Arnold died on April 10, at 1:20 p.m. in his Skagway home, after a long battle with cancer.
He was born in Santa Cruz, California on September 7, 1960. After moving to Pineville, Oregon with his family he later met his bride, Joann Miller. Together, they moved to Oregon City, where they were married on September 28, 1980.
The Arnolds moved to Skagway in 1981, where they started a family and home.
Tim was the shop foreman at Gray Line of Alaska and could often be seen around town wearing his work blues. He had a love for the outdoors, and enjoyed shooting, fishing and camping.
Tim is survived by his wife of 30 years, Joann, son Brandon, daughter Danielle Authier, son-in-law Tim, and all of his extended family in Skagway.
He is also survived by his sister Kelly Reponen of Redmond, Oregon; sister Tammy Thompson, father Paul Arnold, stepmother Beverly, brother Steve, and several nieces and nephews, all of Prineville; and Kenny Arnold of Portland.
Honey, we love you and you are missed. On behalf of the family, thank you Skagway for your support and love.
