Alaska School Yearbooks by County
Ruth Ilene Ross
Former Juneau resident Ruth Ilene Ross died Jan. 4, 2009, in Pocatello, Idaho. She was 89.
Born Jan. 3, 1920, in Kincaid, Kan., to Everett and Lora Utley, she attended Kincaid High School.
A bank teller and caregiver who lived in Juneau for six years, she was a member of the Rabeccah's Lodge and the First Baptist Church in Filer, Idaho.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Leo Ross.
She is survived by her sons, Donald Ross and wife, Susan, and Ronald Ross and wife, Debra.
A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, at Colonial Funeral Home in Pocatello, with burial in the Sunset Memorial Park in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Roger Loren Hulse
Longtime Alaska and Juneau resident Roger Loren Hulse died of natural causes on Dec. 29, 2008. He was 49.
Born on Nov. 23, 1959, to Virgil and Phyllis Hulse, who were formerly of Juneau and now live in Las Vegas, he spent most of his life in Juneau.
A former city of Juneau employee with the wastewater treatment plant, he was most recently employed as project manager with the Metlakatla Housing Authority.
According to his family, he was an avid hunter and fisherman who enjoyed the outdoors and sea. Friends and peers respected his carpentry skills. He was considered a craftsman. Being a grandfather was a major enjoyment of his life.
He is survived by his wife, Linda Hulse, of Juneau; daughters, Mariah Underwood and husband, Steve, of Juneau, Kayla Whitworth, of Juneau, and Alicia Cox, of Juneau; son, Nicholas Dehart, of Juneau; sister, Becky Shields and husband, Robert, of California; brothers, Rod Hulse, of Las Vegas, Bob Hulse and wife, Rorie, of Metlakatla, Randy Hulse and wife, Linda, of Juneau, and Tim Hulse and wife, Carie, of Juneau; grandchildren, Kimberly Whitworth, Brett Underwood and Dawson Underwood, all of Juneau; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A celebration of his life is planned for this summer. In lieu of flowers, the family asked that contributions may be made to the charity of your choice.
Curtis Howard
Juneau resident Curtis Torres Howard died Dec. 16, 2008. He was 28.
Born May 2, 1980, in Juneau, to Henry Torres Howard and the late Yvonne Kay Howard, he graduated from Juneau-Douglas High School in 1998 and as a certified medical assistant from the Career Academy in Anchorage.
While growing up, he enjoyed playing basketball, sport fishing and snowboarding.
He was a Sealaska and Goldbelt shareholder and a member of the Douglas Indian Association. He also was a member of the Woochkeetan Clan (Eagle/Shark) and a child of the Teiquadei (Eagle/Brown Bear).
He is survived by his father; sister, Rosanne Howard and husband, Robert Ridgeway, and their children, Nakiesha and Darion, of Juneau; grandmother, Rose Howard; maternal grandmother, May George, of Juneau; and aunts, uncles and cousins too numerous to mention but not forgotten.
A viewing for family and friends was held Dec. 23 at the Alaskan Memorial Park and Mortuary. Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, at Northern Light United Church, with a reception to follow. For more information, call Henry Howard at 321-0809.
Edna M. Barger
Former Juneau resident Edna M. Barger, of Issaquah, Wash., died Jan. 3, 2009, in Kirkland, Wash. She was 76.
Born May 29, 1932, in Philadelphia, Pa., to Frederick and Edna Eisenhart, she was raised in Philadelphia and graduated from high school in 1950. She married Clifford T. Barger, also of Philadelphia, and followed him as his career in the U.S. Navy as an Air Force contractor and in the Coast Guard took the family to Santa Barbara, Calif., Cheyenne, Wyo., Governor's Island, N.Y., Temple Hills, Md., and Juneau.
She continued her career with the Civil Service while the family resided in Juneau, eventually serving as an office manager for the Coast Guard's Civil Engineering Department there. She was also very involved with her husband in supporting the activities of the Coast Guard's Chief Petty Officers' Association in Juneau. Clifford retired from the Coast Guard as a Senior Chief Petty Officer in 1978, and Edna retired from the Civil Service in June 1992.
After Clifford's death, she relocated from Juneau to Issaquah in 1994, in order to be closer to her daughters. In Issaquah, she remained active in the lives of her children and also volunteered many hours to support the various activities of the Issaquah Senior Center.
She is survived by her daughters, Donna Mackey, of Spokane, Barbara Borbridge, of Juneau, and Beverly Perniola, of Issaquah; son, Michael Barger, of Austin, Texas; sisters, Margaret Spotts, of Philadelphia, and Virginia Dellarocchetta, of Sunnyvale, Calif.; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
A memorial service was held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10, at Flintoft's Issaquah Funeral Home. An additional service is scheduled for May 29 in Juneau, where she will be laid to rest next to her husband in Alaskan Memorial Park.
The family suggests remembrances to the Evergreen Hospice, 12822 124th Lane NE, Kirkland, WA 98034.
Friends are invited to share memories and sign the family's online guest book at www.flintofts.com. Arrangements are by Flintoft's Funeral Home and Crematory.
Frances Blair Awbrey
Gustavus resident Frances Blair Awbrey died peacefully on Dec. 21, 2008, in Gustavus, where she was cared for by devoted friends. She was 50.
A fifth generation Californian, she was born in Berkeley and graduated from Menlo Atherton High School. She attended the University of Puget Sound, the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and later the Cordon Bleu in Paris, France.
Her skill as a chef was her passport to a lifetime of traveling adventures, her family said. Among the many places she sojourned were San Francisco, London, Gstaad, Madrid, Marbella, New York, Nantucket, Anchorage and San Miguel de Allende.
She migrated to Alaska where she ultimately discovered the small town of Gustavus at Glacier Bay, where she became part of the community. She spent most winters in Mexico. In Baja, she adopted an abandoned puppy, Aria, with whom she later logged many miles on road trips from Alaska to Mexico.
In early 2006, she volunteered at the Mission San Ildefonso in Queretaro, serving the Otomi people in central Mexico.
Her family said she was intrepid and her passion for life was infectious. She was an avid fly-fisherwoman and a formidable Scrabble player who enjoyed playing the cello, they said.
In October 2006, she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in Tucson, Ariz., where she was treated for seven months. Thereafter, she moved to her family home to Atherton, Calif., but made several visits to Gustavus until her final trip there on Sept. 29, 2008.
She is survived by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Awbrey, of Atherton; a brother, Craig Awbrey, of Saratoga; a sister, Lisa Awbrey, of San Francisco; two uncles, a number of cousins and three nieces.
A memorial is pending in Gustavus. There will be a memorial at 11 a.m. on Jan. 31 at the Julia Morgan Chapel in Saratoga Federated Church in Saratoga, Calif.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Breast Cancer Connections, 390 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94306; KARA, 457 Kingsley Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301; or the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, 795 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94301.
