JOHN J. EDER

Houston resident John Joseph Eder, 90, died of Parkinson's disease at his home on April 29, 2005. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 7, at the Mid-Valley Senior Center, 11915 W. Mid-Valley Way, Mile 53.3 Parks Hwy., Houston. Pastor Tim Carrick will officiate. Floral arrangements are welcome.

Mr. Eder was born in Seattle on Oct. 10, 1914. In 1941, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps, in which he served until 1945. He moved to Alaska in 1953 and began working for Airport Machinery Co. in Anchorage from 1954 until 1972, when he made Houston his home.

He was employed with B & C Automotive Supply in Palmer and Wasilla from 1972 until his retirement. He served on the Houston City Council for 21 years, was a member of the Mat-Su Borough Assembly, a board member of the Homesteader's Community Center and a member of Mid-Valley Seniors Inc., serving on the building committee for the

Mid-Valley Senior Center. He enjoyed hunting and fishing.

His family wrote, "John grew up in Granite Falls, Wash., listening to the stories his father, Joseph, would tell about his adventures in Alaska along the trails to the gold fields before the turn of the century.

Stories about the long miles of heavy backpacking and shooting the Whitehorse Rapids on the Yukon River fired his imagination. After the Depression and his service in World War II, his desire to see Alaska grew. He moved his family to Alaska in 1953 with his wife, Nan, agreeing to stay for five years."

His daughter, Marsha, and sister, Margaret, preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife, Nan Eder of Houston; son, Pat Eder of Houston; daughter and son-in-law, Judy and Bob Alward; granddaughter, Becky Lewis; great-granddaughters, Sydney and Rylee Lewis, all of Anchorage, and brother and sister-in-law, Frank and Virginia Eder of Everett, Wash.

Arrangements are with Valley Funeral Home & Crematory in Wasilla.