Services for Henry “Chana” Thomas Smith Sr. will be held 1 p.m. Monday, March 7, at the Salvation Army, with a luncheon to follow.
Burial will be in Sitka National Cemetery.
A memorial service was held today in Kake, where he lived before moving to Sitka in 2007.
Henry died Feb. 25 at SEARHC-Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital, surrounded by family and friends, He was 78.
He was born on July 20, 1937, in Kake, the son of John and Marion (Paul) Smith. He attended Kake Elementary School and then Mt. Edgecumbe High School.
He joined the United States Marine Corps, Dec. 20, 1957, just weeks before he graduated high school, and completed his GED in the military.
He was sworn in at the Kodiak, Alaska boot camp and sent to San Diego for three months. He served two tours in Okinawa, Japan, as part of the guard company from San Diego MCRD. In the Marines he was trained to fire all weapons, including the 45 caliber shotgun, carbine m-1, 30 and 50 caliber machine guns, and was familiarized with the 159 howitzer artillery gun. He was trained in demolitions and was a rifle range coach.
Lance Corporal Henry Smith received an active duty honorable discharge in December 1962. He was part of K Company 9th Marines, which became G company 2nd Battalion. While serving, Henry made all the landings including the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan. The unit was on their way to Lebanon but was turned around, and almost sent to Vietnam.
He returned home in May 1962 and married Jada Jackson Dec. 20, 1962.
Henry worked as a tire man on the Arctic Slope and received training to be a heavy equipment operator. He became the first telephone repairman in Kake, later working as a lumberjack – a boom operator, building log rafts for Soderberg and Kake Tribal Corp. for many years, eventually training his sons in the trade.
Active in the community, Henry served on the Board for the Organized Village of Kake, dedicated many years to the Kake City Council, and eventually completed a term as the Mayor of Kake. He also served on the Kake Volunteer Fire Department and was a lifelong member of the Alaska Native Brotherhood as well as a lifelong Salvation Army Soldier, Junior/Senior Soldier, Corps Cadet and Corps Councilman.
Henry played basketball in high school, and was on the 1st Gold Medal team for Kake, and the 1966 B Bracket Championship Kake ANB team – earned many trophies throughout his basketball career.
Chana was a fluent Tlingit speaker and Clan leader for the Suk’teeneidi. He would often share his knowledge with others. He was a lifelong hunter, fisherman, gatherer of subsistence, and worked hard to provide his family with the best halibut dryfish and seaweed in Alaska.
He spent hours trolling and teaching his sons all he knew about hunting, fishing and navigating a boat. He worked at Aurora’s Watch for two years in Sitka.
Chana was preceded in death by his parents John and Marion Smith, Mammashaan Josephine Paul and sister Donna Ashenfelter.
He is survived by his wife Jada, of Sitka, and children, Sonya of Sitka, Henry Jr. (wife Bonnie) of Wasilla, Tony (wife Delphine), Garrett (wife Jean), Mike (wife Sarah) of Kake, Karlee of Sitka, and adopted sons Lonnie Tucker (wife Lonna) of Kenai, and Anthony Gastelum (wife Georgie) of Kake.
Also surviving are his sister Virginia (husband Frank) Thomas of Sitka; brother Joe (wife Mary) Smith of San Francisco; sister Patty (husband Gary) Handy of Kake; and sister Judy (husband Max) Brown of Kake.
Sixteen grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews also survive.
A story that Chana wanted to have shared was that during his stay in the hospital, he was shocked back to life twice. If the second shock had not worked, he would have been lost. While that was happening, and after the second shock, there were about 15 family members, holding hands and praying, and the doctor didn’t want interrupt so he went to check on Henry. Henry’s heart was beating strong and steady. The doctor told him that he made a believer out of him. “Chana really thought God did that just to make that doctor believe in the power of prayer,” his family said.
Henry’s family expressed deep gratitude for all the comfort, warmth, sympathy and food they were given. “It was wonderful,” Jada Smith said.
She can be reached at 738-8190.
