BIG RIGS – Max Bennett, 2, checks out the steering on a steamroller during the 3 to 5 Preschool’s Big Rig fundraiser in front of Mt. Edgecumbe High School Saturday. Hundreds of kids and parents braved the wet weather to check out the assortment of machines, including road building trucks, a U.S. Coast Guard ANT boat, police cars and fire department rigs. Kids were able to ride as passengers on ATVs. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
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Sentinel Staff Writer
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By CLAIRE STREMPLE Alaska Beacon TJ Beers stood across the street from the Capitol in a nav [ ... ]
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Alaska Beacon
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By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
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By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
Julie Kitka, the longtime president of the Alaska Federation of Natives, [ ... ]
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
April 12
At 5:18 p.m. a caller asked for a [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
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By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
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Alaska Beacon
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Alaska Beacon
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Alaska Beacon
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Alaska Beacon
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April 11
At 2:14 a.m. a report was logged t [ ... ]
Card of Thanks
Dear Sitka, I would like to say thank you for the outpouring of love and support for t [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
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By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
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Sentinel Staff Writer
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Alaska Beacon
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Alaska Beacon
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Alaska Beacon
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April 10
A dog was reported running loose i [ ... ]
Big Rig Event
Set Saturday
For All Ages
All types of vehicles, food and activities are planned for the [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
After hearing testimony from a number of residents, t [ ... ]
Daily Sitka Sentinel
Joan Didrickson Lewis Dies in Sitka at Age 77
Joan “Joni” Didrickson Lewis
Joan “Joni” Didrickson Lewis, a Sitka resident for most of her life, passed peacefully on November 7, with her only son, Larry, at her side. She was 77.
She was born in Juneau on October 9, 1943, the daughter of John Alfred and Mabel (Jones) Didrickson. She was Aanyeiwdu.oo, of the Deisheetaan clan.
She was raised in Sitka, and graduated from Sitka High School. She later received an associate of arts degree from the University of Alaska Southeast.
Joni found great joy in the outdoors, playing in the woods and beachcombing. The oldest of six children, for many years, she was a “tomboy.” She also loved engaging in traditional food gathering, as well as the eating of those “soul foods.”
She was an avid reader, priding herself on a booklist that ranged widely in subject areas. She also immersed herself in traditional Tlingit arts, particularly in beadwork and weaving, and completed many beautiful projects.
Having endured many hardships of her own, she was committed to helping others, whether it was those struggling with addiction, or survivors of domestic violence.
Just as can be said of so many, she loved her friends and family; however, being a decided extrovert, she loved the company of others, and what most will remember of her was her contagious laugh.
Survivors include her son Larry Garrity, his partner, Dionne Brady-Howard, and their children, Vanessa Bradley of Sitka; Jordan of Eagle River; Jamie Garrity of Vancouver, Washington; and Tyler Garrity and Izzy Jackson, both of Sitka.
Also surviving are her sisters, Chris Judy and her husband, Larry Judy, of Big Lake, Alaska, and Jewel Didrickson of Eagle River; brother Clyde Didrickson of Juneau; and numerous nephews, nieces and cousins.
Services are pending, and may be held in the summer if coronavirus restrictions are lifted.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Sitkans Against Family Violence (SAFV).
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20 YEARS AGO
April 2004
Responding to the requests of athletes, coaches and parents, the Sitka School Board voted unanimously Monday against a proposal that would have changed Sitka High School’s classification from Class 4A, which includes Juneau and Ketchikan, to the 3A, which has schools with enrollment of 100 to 400 students.
50 YEARS AGO
April 1974
Memories of Sitka’s first radio station have been revived by a St. Louis, Mo., man who was one of the founders. Fred A. Wiethuchter recently wrote a letter to “Mayor Sitka, Alaska” asking about the town since he was here during World War II. He was an Army private at Fort Ray when he was attached to Armed Services Radio Station KRAY and WVCX ....
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