Rodger Wilber Dies at 55; Was a Longtime Resident

Rodger Wilber

Rodger Wilber of Sitka passed away December 10, 2023, in Anchorage, at the age of 55.
He was born Jan. 14, 1968, in Auburn, Washington, the son of Jennifer Woodford and Glenn Wilber.
Rodger lived most of his life in Sitka. He was employed at True Value, where most Sitka residents got to know him.
Rodger enjoyed gooey duck diving and fishing in Alaska. He loved good conversation and mentioned how in 1968 he sailed the vessel his grandfather gave him from California to Sitka.
For many years, Rodger has lived with companion Peggy Barker and pet cat Crab-bait.
Rodger lost both his legs from the knee down from diabetes complications but kept his good humor and love of life. “I was present once when some friends ask what he was going to do when diving season came around,” said his friend Joe Meador. “Rodger said he was working on diving flippers to fit on these nubs and ‘watch me go.”’
Rodger went on Social Security disability and received medical care for dialysis three times per week. The treatments weren’t available in Sitka so he relocated to Anchorage two years ago.
“There are many good folks in the world, and it seems whenever Rodger came in contact they even got better. I had the privilege of serving as trustee for Rodger and he will be missed,” Meador said.
Rodger is survived by his father Glenn Wilber, mother Jennifer Woodford, brother Robert Wilber, daughters Stephanie Lott and Cheyanne Baxter,  grandson Lucian Hughes and granddaughter Lorien Hughes.

 

Gunalchéesh Háw’aa

Thanks to the generosity and expertise of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska broadband department, Tidal Network; Christopher Cropley, director of Tidal Network; and Luke Johnson, Tidal Network technician, SitkaSentinel.com is again being updated. Tidal Network has been working tirelessly to install Starlink satellite equipment for critical institutions, including the Sentinel, following the scheduled maintenance of GCI’s fiberoptic cable starting March, 13th. CCTHITA’s public-spirited response to the outage is inspiring.

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