Ernest E. &#8220Ernie” Line

Longtime Alaska resident Ernest E. &#8220Ernie” Line died June 27, 2007, at home in Wasilla. A memorial service will be at 3 p.m. July 2 at the VFW Post 9365, 301 E. Lakeview Avenue in Wasilla.

Line was born March 20, 1914, in Shaetown, Penn., to Ethel and Ernest Line. He graduated from Bloomsburg State Teachers College in 1935 and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II.

He married Mavis Menzel Oct. 10, 1942, in Sioux Falls, S.D. After his discharge from the Army in 1945, he moved to Wasilla to teach at Wasilla High School. Line taught English and history, started the basketball program and coached the first team. In 1950 he attended Bucknell University, where he earned a master's degree in education. He returned to Wasilla High School, where he served as superintendent for nearly 10 years.

In 1959, Line moved to Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks, where he served as principal at Pennell Elementary School until he retired in 1978.

Line loved his family and was proud of its many achievements. He was also proud of his status as an Alaska pioneer. He was a longtime member and past president of the Alaska Pioneer Igloo 31 and a charter member of VFW Post 9365 in Wasilla. He also loved teaching and was a strict but fair teacher and principal. He had high expectations for his students and freely shared his wide knowledge of school subjects and life lessons. He was president of the Alaska chapter of the NEA in 1962.

He was an avid hunter, fisherman and trapper, and loved sharing stories about his many adventures with anyone who would listen. He also had a passion for Alaska and national politics, and used his significant wit and wisdom to write letters critiquing the action and inaction of local, state and federal representatives.

Line is survived by his wife Mavis; children Mary Leibenguth, Amy Walstrom, Margaret Strotman, Lisa Brooks, Paula Williams and Charles Line; sister Eleanore McCabe; 10 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren with another on the way.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Mat-Su Regional Hospice, 950 E. Bogard Road, suite 132, Wasilla, or to a charity of your choice.