Irene Shuler, 85, passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends, on April 24, 2025, in Sitka.
Irene is survived by her cherished husband of 47 years, Kaye Dethridge; her loving brother, Dennis; her nieces Chelsea and Elyse, great-nieces Lucia, Jada, and Nissa; daughter Tammie and granddaughter Karynn; her step-son Michael and his wife Sandy; step-children (from her previous marriage) Barbara, Mark and his wife Dawn; and her dear friends and chosen family Tess, Linda, and in recent years, Marg.
Irene’s long and remarkable life began on June 13, 1939, in Port Townsend, Washington. Born to George and Luciele (nee' Anderson) Hicks, she inherited from them an unshakeable ability to survive and thrive, as well as sisu (Finnish for stoic determination). A great example of this was when, unaccompanied, at the age of 13, Irene traveled on a vessel across the Gulf of Alaska, from the remote treeless village of Chignik with its one-room schoolhouse, to the bustling city of Sitka to attend Sheldon Jackson High School as a boarding student.
She made many life-long friendships during this period. An avid reader, Irene was very smart and a “quick study," and she reveled in intellectual challenges. Graduating from Kodiak High School in 1956 after her parents moved there from Chignik, she went back to Sheldon Jackson’s Junior College and from there became a legal secretary, both in Los Angeles and in Sitka, eventually owning her own business as a legal stenographer.
She purchased her first of many houses when she was a mere 23 years old. She was an early adopter of modern technology and had a home computer long before that was typical. She also enjoyed adventuring with family and friends, recalling fondly her days working as a dispatcher at Channel Flying where she often had transport opportunities to explore remote areas of nearby Southeast Alaska in search of abandoned treasures from the Gold Rush and cannery eras.
She visited her family’s ancestral homeland in Finland several times; first with her mother, and later with her beloved aunt Grace, and once, on her own, on a Mother Earth tour of Scandinavian crafts.
Irene loved her family and friends fiercely, and while she could be understated in her emotional expressiveness, she made sure her love and support were always known. She was married twice; first to Bob Shuler, a Sitka physician, until his death in 1971, then to Kaye Dethridge, whom she met through their shared interest in tokens and other Alaskana. They married in 1982 and throughout their long loving marriage, they nurtured each other’s passions for collecting a variety of Alaskan historical items. Irene even wrote and presented, in her role as President of the Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum, a witty essay about being a “token wife.”
When it became clear that Irene’s aunt Grace might need support in her elder years, Irene and Kaye established a second home in Ocean Park, Washington, and invited Grace to move in with them. Kaye and Irene made many trips to the Willapa Bay peninsula, with their cat, business and all, piled high in their van, and over time created a beautiful, peaceful sanctuary to which many were drawn. During the years that ensued, Irene reconnected with extended family members in Southwest Washington, and graciously hosted numerous large family reunions, which she dubbed “The Annual Cousins Picnic.”
Always an amazing Alaskan cook, Irene relished the expanded and readily available food possibilities in the Ocean Park area. They enjoyed fresh oysters, razor clams, and oodles of produce - from their own garden as well as the orchards and fields of the bountiful Northwest - and she and Kaye canned pounds of fruits and vegetables, while Irene ground her own grains to make her famous bread.
They moved back to Sitka, permanently, a few years after Grace’s death, welcoming the frequent company of family and friends to their home, enjoying the warmth of a crackling fire in the hearth, and magnificent views of Mt. Edgecumbe from their living room picture windows.
All who knew and appreciated Irene are invited to join in the celebration of her life 2-5 p.m. Saturday, May 24, at the See House, behind St. Peter’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church.
