HELEN LOUISE (SHYER) POPE

Helen Louise (Shyer) Pope passed away Aug. 11, 2005, in Palmer.

Mrs. Pope was born in 1931, in Decatur, Ill., She was married for 40 years to Richard Thomas Pope, who died in 1989.

The Popes resided in Rialto, Calif., where they had several successful gas stations and used car sales lots around the Inland Empire before taking on the adventure of their lives by homesteading in the great Alaska wilderness by the Matanuska Glacier.

Mrs. Pope worked as a camp cook on the trans-Alaska oil pipeline (known as Little One or Sunshine) while it was being built.

Her family wrote, "Everyone knew her as a real fighter, someone who would not give up. She had to be and was the best at everything she was involved in. She loved talking to the world on her CB and ham radios, always passing along messages for the truckers and people on the Glenn Highway.

"Mom had a saying from the heart and that was, 'You are not a stranger but once in my home and the coffee pot is always on, no matter what time it was.' She welcomes everyone with open arms and a warm heart.

"Those who knew her understood that she was sincere, caring and had boundless love for her family and friends.

"We have lost someone who listened to our troubles, shared our disappointments, encouraged our dreams, and provided us with strength, knowledge, and support. Thank you, Mom, for the precious memories. You will live within our hearts forever."

Funeral services were at the family cemetery, Aug. 12, at Mile 102 Glenn Hwy., on the mountain top of the family property.

"Jeany, Jackie and Connie would like to express a special thank you to their loved sister, Debbie, for devoting her life to taking care of Mom these last few years," those family members wrote. "The family would also like to thank Doctor Senta, the staff and volunteers of Valley hospital and her home-care nurses."

A beloved mother, Mrs. Pope leaves behind her four loving daughters, Jeany, of Victorville, Calif., Jackie, of Highland, Calif., Debbie, of Wasilla, and Connie, of Hokes Bluff, Ala., and their families. She is also survived by her 15 grandchildren; 45 great-grandchildren; five great-great grandchildren; two sisters, Mary Smart of Ormond Beach, Fla., and Betty Lou Evans of Clinton, Ill., and many friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Mrs. Pope's memory may be sent in care of Debbie Stevenson, P.O. Box 875149, Wasilla, AK 99687.