Carl Dominicks, 88, Dies; Was Fisherman, Veteran
Carl Theodore Dominicks, a longtime Sitka resident, passed away on Feb. 6, 2025, at Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center. He was 88.
Carl was born April 24, 1936, in Akron, Ohio, the son of Theodore and Ruth (Gerringer) Dominicks. He, along with a brother and sister, enjoyed hunting and fishing near the Great Lakes. When he was 22, he joined the U.S. Navy, and served 11 years as a fire control technician. Aboard a Navy icebreaker, Carl traveled to Alaska, a floating ice station called ARLIS near the North Pole, to Hawaii, New Zealand, Antarctica and Chile. The last ship Carl sailed on was the USS Ramsey.
During his journey, Carl received the Vietnam Service Medal with one Bronze Star, the National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal and an Antarctica Medal.
Near the end of his service in the Navy, Carl met the love of his life, Vesta Williams of Kake, a Mt. Edgecumbe High School graduate who was attending school in Seattle, Washington. They were wed on Nov. 3, 1963, and soon made their home in Sitka.
Carl worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 10 years before buying a boat, which he named Toon, a nod to his wife's Tlingit name. He spent many years commercial fishing, and in between he enjoyed gardening and preserving traditional Native foods with Vesta. Carl had deep respect for the Tlingit culture, and was honored to be adopted into the Kaagwaataan clan.
He liked outdoor activities, watching sports, spending time with friends, and sharing sometimes wild and thrilling stories, as well as traveling to Seattle via the Alaska Marine Highway with his vehicle so he could visit friends and family, and do a little bit of shopping.
Carl was preceded in death by his wife, Vesta Dominicks, who died on Oct. 24, 2006; and his parents, Theodore and Ruth Dominicks.
He is survived by nieces, nephews, his adopted family, and numerous friends around the world.
Carl's and Vesta's ashes will be interplaced at Sitka National Cemetery 1 p.m. Friday, March 14.
