Joan M. Fager
Joan M. Fager, former Sitka resident, passed away Sept. 21, 2016, at her home in Walla Walla, Wash., with her husband and son by her side. She was 72.
Memorial services will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27, at the Munselle-Rhodes Funeral Home, 902 S. Main, Milton-Freewater, OR. Memorial contributions may be made to Walla Walla Community Hospice or Shriners Hospital through the funeral home.
Joan Maxine (Harmon) Fager was born Feb. 16,1944, in Enterprise, Ore., to Jack and Maxine Harmon. She graduated from Enterprise High School in 1962 and shortly thereafter moved to La Grande, Ore., with her family.
She attended Eastern Oregon College for two years while working various jobs, including a stint at A&W Drive In where she would meet her future husband, Leland Fager. The two were married on July 19, 1964.
Leland and Joan had three children, Jon, Jenifer, and Lisa. In 1977, the family moved from Oregon to Sitka,where Joan worked for the Sitka School District, first as a paraprofessional and later as an administrative secretary.
After retiring from the school district, Joan explored some part-time opportunities working with a real-estate office. This sparked an interest that led to Joan and Leland opening Angler’s Landing Bed and Breakfast and operating vacation rentals in Sitka.
After 29 Alaskan winters, the Fagers moved back to Oregon and took up residence in Milton-Freewater, next door to their life-long friends, the Stricklers. Their final home was The Odd Fellows Home in Walla Walla.
Joan was a domestic diva who loved cooking, sewing, crafting, and all things Martha Stewart. She was also an avid volunteer who shared of her time, energy, and talents with the following organizations: Rainbow Girls, Al Kader Shrine Divan Ladies, Daughters of the Nile, and Emblem Club.
Joan was preceded in death by her mother, Maxine Harmon. She is survived by her husband, Leland Fager of Walla Walla; father, Jack Harmon of La Grande; sisters Julie Hickerson of La Grande and Jean Talbott of Portland; brother Bill Harmon of La Grande; son Jon Fager of Walla Walla; daughter Jenifer Fager of Interlochen, Mich.; daughter Lisa Hutton of Sitka; four grandchildren; one great-grandchild; multiple nieces and nephews; and many great friends.
