Eugene “Gene” W. Johannes

Longtime resident of Alaska and Green Valley, Arizona, Eugene “Gene” W. Johannes, passed away March 29, 2015.

He joined his beloved wife Betty, who preceded him in departing this world.

Gene had a wonderful life, being raised on a 160-acre farm in St. Cloud, Minnesota. As a teenager he traveled to Canada and helped build the Canadian American Norman Oil Line, or CANOL, from Norman Wells, North West Territory. CANOL supplied vital oil for the military in World War II.

Upon being eligible, Gene joined the U.S. Navy and traveled many parts of the world serving on a minesweeper and clearing mines in the China Sea and around Japan. After the war he met Betty in Seattle, Washington. They soon married and moved to Alaska shortly thereafter.

Gene and Betty lived and worked in Anchorage for the next 27 years, experiencing statehood, the Great Friday Earthquake, construction of the trans-Alaska pipeline, and many other interesting events. Following retirement, they moved to their summer home on the shores of Lake Lucille, Wasilla, spending winters at their Green Valley home. Gene remained active with building projects and many outdoor landscaping and gardening activities during his “retirement” years.

Gene and Betty were loved and are survived by their three children, Nora Braman-Knox (Tom Knox), Dale Johannes (Phyllis), Terry Johannes (Kristina); nine grandchildren; and six great grandchildren.

A memorial Mass is at 8 a.m., April 9 at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church in Green Valley, Arizona. Contributions can be made in Gene’s memory to the American Diabetes Association.