Alaska School Yearbooks by County
Richard Thomas Kirkland
Richard Thomas Kirkland, 70, died July 25, 2009, at Providence Hospital in Portland, Ore., following a period of declining health.
He was born Dec. 7, 1938, in Montgomery, Ala., to parents Richard and Jose Fa. He graduated from Prattville High School in Alabama and studied journalism at the University of Alabama. He lived in Juneau for 16 years, serving as a revenue agent for the state of Alaska, and then lived for a period in Hawaii before retiring in Portland.
He is survived by his partner, Ann Ehrlich; daughters, Melissa Kirkland, Jose Fa Kirkland and Mitzi Kirkland-Ives; son, John Kirkland; sons-in-law, Jared Rhine and Brandon Ives; granddaughter, Juniper Rhine; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.
A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 3, at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Portland. The Rev. David Humphrey will officiate.
Tyler Dean 'Tag' Eckles
Tyler Dean "Tag" Eckles died on the morning of July 26, 2009, after a valiant fight against cancer, with his wife Hildegard and friends at his side. He was 59.
A longtime fixture in the Juneau music scene, Tag lived in Juneau since 1971. He fell in love with the place while touring with his rock 'n' roll show band, Ben Roe. Since that time, he was known as a musician, composer, bon vivant and for many years, as Professor Phineas Poon, the beloved honky tonk piano player and comedian at the Red Dog Saloon. He created music for plays and films including "Pieces of Eight" (Perseverance Theatre), "The Shadow Walkers" and "Shooting the West." He was a member of the Saint Paul Singers and in 1986 toured across Russia with the Alaska Performing Artists for Peace, in their effort to open the Alaska-Russia border.
He is survived by his wife, Hildegard Sellner, of Juneau; daughter, April Powell; grandson, Thomas Tyler Powell; and son-in-law, Steven Powell, all of Houston; stepson, Nicholas Samoniego, of Juneau; brother, Gaylord Eckles, of Sierra Madre, Calif.; niece, Savanna Eckles, of Berkeley, Calif.; cousin, Tom Eckles, of Gualala, Calif.; godmother, Dixie Belcher, of Juneau; and countless friends he considered family.
He was a founding member of the notorious Juneau Fencing Club, an adopted member of the Eagle-Killer Whale clan (his Tlingit name is Skanuch), and a council member of Turning the Tides.
"He will be remembered by everyone who knew him for his ebullient high spirits, his unflagging optimism, his generosity and his great, great love of life," his wife said.
There will be an open house potluck all day Sunday, Aug. 2, at Hildegard Sellner's and Tag's house. All of their friends are invited. A wake and poker run will be held on a weekend in September. Stay tuned for further information.
Donations can be made to Turning the Tides (www.turningthetides.org) for the new Life Force Healing Center in Juneau. For more information, call Hildegard Sellner at 723-0789.
Jack Paul Brown Jr.
Jack Paul Brown Jr., 53, died July 24, 2009, in Ketchikan after a long battle with colon cancer. His Tlingit name was Tsoo 'neil.
Born May 15, 1956, in Klawock, to Jack and Fannie Brown, he was of the Eagle Moiety from the Kaa xoo hit taan. His mother is of the Eagle Moiety from the Kaa xoo hit taan. His father was of the Raven T'akdien taan of the Snail House in Hoonah.
He grew up in Klawock, where he attended elementary school and was a member of the Klawock 49ers basketball team. He attended Craig High School, where he played on the Panther basketball team.
He married Teresa Sloan on Dec. 7, 1985. They had a daughter, Tylene Brown, and a 2-year-old grandson, Jack Duane Brown. He was a long-time longshoreman for Southeast Stevedoring in Klawock.
He served as an officer and a member of Klawock Heenya Corp., Sealaska Corp., and the local Tlingit and Haida Council of Klawock. He also was a past president of the Klawock Alaska Native Brotherhood Camp 9. Brown served as an EMT, search-and-rescue squad member, and volunteer firefighter and fire chief. He was a Klawock Cooperative Association council member and a Klawock City Council member.
He was directly involved in the closure of beach seining in Klawock Bay on weekends.
"Jack provided for the families of Prince of Wales Island with subsistence food to help them make it through winter months," his family wrote. "For many years Jack trained the young men in the community on how to collect the subsistence food for the people so they can continue on in his memory in his absence."
He worked for the Alaska Native Sisterhood Bingo Commission as a bingo caller.
"He treated everyone with respect. He always made sure they were comfortable, had lots of coffee and kept them laughing," his family wrote.
He was preceded in death by his father, Jack Paul Brown Sr.; uncle, William "Bill" Smith; brother, Archie Brown; and nephew, Louis Craig Yates Jr.
He is survived by his mother, Fannie Ermaloff; sisters, Lavina Ellison, Marietta "Rita" Leask, Myrna Yates, Beatrice Brown, and Winnie Smith; 350 nephews and nieces; and numerous friends.
A memorial service will take place at 7 p.m. today at Klawock High School. A celebration of life is planned for 1 p.m. Wednesday at the high school.
Pallbearers will be Nick Nickerson, David Dundas, Harold Thomas, Jack Kato, Tom Leask and Don Yates.
Kevin James Walkenford
Juneau resident Kevin James Walkenford died in Phoenix, Ariz. on July 19, 2009. He was 14.
Walkenford was born May 23, 1995 and lived in Juneau for eight years and 10 months. He attended Harborview and Glacier Valley Elementary schools. He had finished eighth grade at Floyd Dryden and was going to attend Thunder Mountain High School in the fall.
Walkenford is survived by his father, Scott Walkenford, of Juneau, mother, Yvonne Davenport, of Phoenix, Ariz., sisters Kayla and Brittany Walkenford.
"Kevin, we love you and miss you very much. You will always be in our hearts and with us," his family said.
A memorial service will be held at St. Paul's at 5 p.m. July 28. There will be a potluck reception afterward.
Pallbearers will be John Walkenford, Chris Walkenford Sr., Charles K. Wisner, Chris Walkenford Jr., Chas and Mars Duran. Honorary pallbearers will be Merced Duran and James C. Emerson.
A memorial account has been established at Alaska USA (1471669) if you care to assist the family in defraying the cost of funeral expenses.
Stuart Boyles
Former Juneau resident Stuart Boyles died Sept. 11, 2009, in Fairbanks. He was 46.
For further information contact Amelia Brockman at 790-1878. A full obituary will follow at a later date.
