JOHN A. VANOVER

John A. Vanover, 85, died Feb. 13, 2002, at his home in Eagle River. His wife of 54 years was at his side. At his request no services will be held.

Mr. Vanover was born May 30, 1916, in champion Alberta, Canada. His family moved back to Washington, then Montana, where he completed high school.

In 1940, Mr. Vanover came to Alaska. He worked briefly in Nome and at Elmendorf. In 1942, he bought interest in a hog farm in Mountain View and bought out his partner the next year. He roughed in South Bragaw Street from Mt. View Drive to DeBarr Road, where he homesteaded

80 acres.

He operated his hog farm, commercial slaughterhouse and meat-packing plant in Anchorage until he moved the hog farm to Eagle River in 1951. The hog farm was later moved and a new slaughterhouse and packing plant built at the Butte in Palmer, where he continued to raise pigs

until 1972.

Mr. Vanover was middleweight champion of Alaska in 1942. He put on rodeos in Alaska in the late 1940s and early '50s. He did some trapping, commercial fishing, gold mining and land development. He was a life member of the Shriners.

Although he enjoyed many things, his greatest pleasures in life were his family and close friends. John Vanover was a dedicated, devoted, loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.

In 1947, Mr. Vanover married Joe Anne Lentz and the happy couple had three children. Mr. Vanover is survived by Joe Anne Vanover, his beloved wife of 54 years; children, John Vanover II, Jerry and wife Kathy Vanover, Julia and husband Mike Warta; and sister Helena Pickard; grandchildren, Naomi Vanover and husband Eric Piggott, Natalie and husband Chris Neeser, John Vanover III, Marie Vanover, Justin Vanover, Jon Nichols, Alison Thomas, Jonathan Thomas, Alisha Thomas, Shannon Blood; and five beautiful great-grand-

children.