When a Haines facebook friend wrote – no more dying, okay? I knew exactly what she meant. Recently we have lost a lot of people for such a small place. Two well-loved elders died (basically) of old age– former Southeast Fair director Harriet Jurgeleit and hard working Hotel Halsingland founder Hilma White. Ed Laperyi was a grandfather, but his death following a car accident was a shock. The former sawmill owner traded in his red suspenders for what I thought of as a Rat Pack vibe when he bought the Captain’s Choice Motel. Young Jeremy Hanes death was also unexpected, but he had serious health issues due to multiple handicaps, although his mind worked just fine. Once I saw Wayne Price, Jeremy’s stepfather, lift him gently out of his wheelchair during a potlatch and hold him in arms and dance with him, swaying and stepping to an ancient Tlingit song. Some of you may think I shouldn’t mention Stimee Boggs suicide, but I’m a mother and Stimee had one too, and my bet is that she wouldn’t want him left out because of the way he died. That eccentric southern kid had a lot of friends in Haines and Skagway– Now comes word that Ed’s adult daughter, who was here for his funeral, has died suddenly, and American Legion stalwart Pat Murphy’s cancer has gotten the best of him.
I wrote this essay (it was just broadcast on 9.12.12 at the end f the newscast) for KHNS as part of their new Small Things Considered feature– basically it is short personal essays (350-500 words) on topical, local things, but not political (there is another forum for those commentaries)– they can be funny, thoughtful, enlightening, heartfelt, or instructional– small things that you notice or think about and want to share with the community. Anyone in Haines, Skagway, or Klukwan may do one. They will run each week. If you’d like to submit an essay, call Margaret at KHNS, 766-2020 or 983-2853 for guidelines. Please do, or else I will have to. (I promised Margaret I’d make sure she didn’t have dead air…)
