Lenora Jo Notti-Kirkman, 77, a longtime Sitka resident, passed away at SEARHC-Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital Oct. 14, 2015.
Muffet, as she was known among friends, was born on July 14, 1938, in Juneau and spent many summers at her family’s trading post in Golovin before moving to Sitka.
At Sitka High, she was a cheerleader for the boys basketball team when it won the state championship in 1954. She also excelled at track and worked for the school newspaper.
She left Sitka for several years after high school but returned in 1982 and worked at SEARHC until her retirement in 2003.
Muffet was everything that was right in the world, her family said. She had a huge heart and a lot of love to give. She adored her husband Bob and her family. Her grandchildren were the apples of her eye and they always brought a huge smile to her face.
“We all feel cheated out of more time with Muffet. But we know that when the Lord called her home she was greeted on the other side by her mother, who no doubt had a game of Scrabble ready to be picked up where they had left off 12 years ago. Good luck mom in trying to beat grandma,” her family said.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Arthur and Flora Peterson, and her son, John Arthur Tompkins.
She is survived by her husband, Bob Kirkman; daughter Cindy Hoffman and her husband David and sons Justin Sandoval and Ben Sandoval; son Joe Notti and his wife Caroline and children Joe Jr., Alec, Naomi and Aaron; son William Notti and Alicia Notti and their children Lily and Cia; son Robert Notti; stepdaughter Robin LeMay and her husband David and son Rick Busch and his wife Kris; son Truckee LeMay; and daughter Nyle Ley and her husband Jeremy and their children Savannah, Gavin, Izzy, Connor and Kanyon.
The family extends “deepest appreciation to the wonderfully compassionate and competent staff members at SEARHC hospital who cared for Muffet and took such good care of family members.”
Services will be held at noon Saturday, Oct. 24, at First Presbyterian Church, with a reception immediately following.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Meals on Wheels program at the Swan Lake Senior Center at 402 Lake St.
