Alaska School Yearbooks by County
Roger McFarlane Pugh
Roger McFarlane Pugh, 47, died suddenly last week Aug. 30, 2005, while at his home on the Taku River in northern British Columbia.
He was born in Oliver, British Columbia, April 15, 1957, to David and Winifred Pugh. He attended Southern Okanagan Secondary School in Oliver. He enjoyed climbing mountains, hiking, playing hockey, golfing and swimming. He traveled extensively while he worked in the oil industry in Africa. His love of the wilderness and his sense of adventure led him to work as a commercial fisherman on the remote Taku River. He played an instrumental role in the establishment and success of that fishery.
Family members said, "Roger was a gentle man who cared deeply about others. His generosity was legendary; he gave selflessly to family and friends and reached out to others in need. ... His many friends in Alaska and northern B.C. will sorely miss Roger. We will all miss his quick wit, his honesty, and his huge heart. His ready smile and quick wit endeared him to people of all ages. Children especially adored him, and many of them regarded him as a special uncle. He made service to others his guiding principle in life, and he did so with humility."
He was preceded in death by his father, David.
He is survived by his mother, Winifred; sisters Meredith, Deborah, Alison and Mary; brothers, David, Don and John; and many aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces.
A celebration of his life will take place at a memorial service at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, in St. Edward the Confessor Anglican Church, at 34660 103rd St., Oliver. A reception and tree planting will follow at the Pugh house at Gallagher Lake, 38897 95th St., Oliver.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Oliver Unit of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of B.C. and Yukon, at P.O. Box 483, Oliver, B.C. V0H 1T0, would be greatly appreciated.
Richard W. Freer
Former Juneau resident Richard W. (Dick) Freer, 91, died Sept. 3, 2005, in Portland, Ore.
Freer, the oldest of four children, was born Oct. 7, 1913, in Middleport, N.Y., to Grant Blaine Freer and Mary Minerva (Wilcox) Freer. In May 1914, the family moved to Everett, Wash., and then to Yakima, Wash., where he graduated from high school in 1931.
After graduation, he picked apples in the Yakima Valley, attended the Yakima Business College, and worked at the Surety Finance Co. until enrolling at the University of Washington in 1935. In 1938 he, along with friend Burke Riley, decided to go to Alaska and "put together a stake." They obtained one-way passage on the trading boat Discoverer, sailing from the Ballard locks March 25, 1938, and reaching Anchorage, then a town of 3,000, on April 5.
Using the last of their funds, the pair took the train to Fairbanks where Freer found work as the assistant paymaster at the Fairbanks Exploration (FE) Company. On July 26, 1941, he married Roberta Rushmore.
The Freers left Fairbanks in 1943, and spent the war years in Seattle. In 1949, Burke Riley, who was working in Juneau as a special assistant to Gov. Ernest Gruening, advised him of a job opening, which Freer eventually accepted, as business manager at the territorial Department of Health.
Freer became the first territorial budget officer in 1955, a position created by the 1954-55 Legislature, then succeeded to the director of the Office of Management and Budget following statehood in 1959. He was appointed deputy commissioner of Administration by Gov. Egan in 1970, a position he held until retirement in 1977, including a short term as commissioner. He is credited with initiating modern, progressive budgeting and accounting systems, purchasing, property control, personnel and retirement programs essential to government operations. He was widely recognized for his diligence, hard work and a fair, even-handed approach, both to people and to problem-solving.
He lived in Juneau until 1986, when illness necessitated moving Roberta to Portland. He was a longtime and active member of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. He was a Rotarian, exalted ruler of the Juneau Elks Lodge, president of the Alaska State Elks Association and was active in the Juneau-Douglas Little Theater, where he appeared in numerous productions.
He enjoyed fishing and hiking, and spent many hours on the water with his close friend, the late George Danner, until well into their 80s.
He was preceded in death by his son Michael in 1957 and his wife of 49 years, Roberta, in 1990.
He is survived by his sons and daughters-in-law, David and Paula of Bethesda, Md., grandchildren Justin and his wife Stephanie, Jared and Jordan and great-granddaughter Olivia; Peter and Sharon Gaiptman and granddaughter Becca of Juneau; and daughter, Cherry Murphy of Portland and grandchildren Brian and Scott.
A memorial service will be 3 p.m., Sept. 26, at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, with a reception following in McPhetres Hall.
Memorials to Freer should be made to the American Red Cross for relief efforts related to Hurricane Katrina.
Joseph Allen Woodin
Former Juneau resident, Joseph Allen Woodin, 80, of Soap Lake, Wash. died Oct. 3, 2005, at Lakeridge Special Care in Moses Lake, Wash.
He was born to Manly A. and Margaret M. Woodin on Nov. 3, 1924, in Huron, S.D.
At age 19 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was stationed at Farragut, Idaho and Terminal Island, Calif. He served as a gunner's mate during World War II and was honorably discharged in March of 1946. He then moved to Minnesota and to live near his extended family. He began working in construction and followed the work to Oregon and then to Alaska. He met Doreen Dugaqua in Sitka and they married on Feb. 14, 1961, in Seattle. They lived and worked in Southeast Alaska, building and remodeling homes and raising their children. He retired in 1982. The couple then moved to Soap Lake.
He is survived by his wife, Doreen; his six children, David, Stephanie, Deborah, Lisa, Gene and Holly; and his brother, Gene Woodin of Virginia.
A memorial service was held at Benson's Chapel on Oct. 7, with Pastor Dexter Edwards officiating. Interment followed at Benson's Pioneer Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Moses Lake.
Mary R. Hargrave
Juneau resident Mary Rosina Hargrave, 89, died Nov. 11, 2005, in her sleep at her home in Juneau.
She was born April 25, 1916. She graduated from Winner High School in Winner, S.D. She also lived in Lead, Deadwood and Custer, S.D. She then moved to Englewood, Calif. and worked at the Douglas Aircraft Corp. She then went to Bellingham, Wash. where she saw an ad in the paper for a cook on a boat.
She met Harold Hargrave via a two-way radio in Funter Bay while she was working as a cook on a charter boat. They were married on March 15, 1950, in Juneau. The couple lived in Funter Bay for 35 years. They moved in 1982 to her home in Juneau.
She enjoyed the outdoors, yard work, smoking the salmon brought to her by friends, sharing her raspberries and stories. According to friends, "she made the best ever liver and onions." Many of her friends enjoyed the hospitality of the "Hargrave Hilton" at Funter Bay.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Harold; her nephew, Wayne; her parents, one sister and two brothers.
She is survived by a niece, Rosalie Hargrave; a great-niece, Wendy Mercer, and two great-great nephews, Cody and Colt Mercer of Stanwood, Wash.
An open house, a gathering of her friends, will be from 1 to 5 p.m., Nov. 18, at her home on 3772 Julep St.
Meredith Nino-Egbert
Former Juneau resident Meredith A. Nino-Egbert, 53, of Woodinville, Wash., died Nov. 7, 2005, in Seattle.
She was born to Edward J. Nino, M.D. and Marilyn R. Nino on Sept. 21, 1952, in San Francisco, Calif. She attended St. Stephen's grammar school and graduated from St. Rose Academy in 1970. In 1974, she graduated from Santa Clara University with a bachelor of science degree in sociology. She joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and taught at Holy Name School in Ketchikan. She then taught at Santa Catalina Catholic School in Monterey, Calif.
In 1979, she married John Egbert and moved to Juneau. She served as director of St. Ann's day care program for Catholic Community Services. In 1982, she received her master of education administration from the University of Alaska. She was co-director of the religious education program at the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary from 1983 to 1984.
In 1984, the family moved to Woodinville. She became the director of religious education at St. Jude in Redmond. At Seattle University, she earned a master of pastoral studies degree in 1999. She served as president of the school commission at St. Louise Parish School. In 2004, she became the principal at Holy Family School in Kirkland.
She is survived by her husband of 26 years, John; her children, David, Jeffrey and Kristin Egbert; her sisters, Joanne M. Nino, M.D. and Nol M. Nino; her brothers, Richard D. Nino and Philip E. Nino; and numerous nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests remembrances to St. Jude Parish in Redmond, Holy Family Parish in Kirkland or Catholic Community Services. A funeral mass was Nov. 11, at St. Jude in Woodinville. A Juneau memorial mass will be 9:30 a.m., Nov. 19, at the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
