MARIE GERDA JAMES

A pioneer and 56-year Alaska resident, Marie James, 93, died peacefully in her sleep on June 16 at the Harbor View Manor assisted living home in Wasilla.

Marie was born Oct. 5, 1915, in Everett, Wash., at the same hospital where all four of her children were born. Marie took on the task of raising her two younger sisters, Nora and Ethel, while working in a local casket factory and painting Liberty ships in Seattle during World War II.

In the summer of 1953, Marie, along with her youngest son Jon and two daughters Paulette and Judy, joined her husband Paul and eldest son Edward on a 40-acre homestead near Sutton.

Marie and her family lived a sometimes hard, but always adventuresome, life in Sutton supported by the Evans-Jones coal mine and other small surface coal producers in the area.

In the fall of 1960, a chimney fire burned down the homestead and Marie was forced to resettle her family in Palmer. As her children grew and moved on with their own lives, Marie began a new life working as a live-in housekeeper for Bob and Kay Pippel where she stayed until 1997.

Marie then moved to Anchorage to live with her daughter Judy Meier until 2009 when failing health dictated her move to Harbor View Manor.

Marie was a giving and loving mother who enjoyed taking vacation cruises to exotic parts of the world, always taking a different grandchild with her on her ocean-going adventures. She was also an avid pinochle player for more than 40 years. In her later years she enjoyed knitting, watching old movies and playing games with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Marie is survived by her daughters Judy Meier of Anchorage and Paulette Kalwies of Whidbey Island, Wash., and son Jon M. James of Palmer; grandchildren Jeana, John, Annemarie, Helmut, Kelly, Katrina, Hannalaura, Monica, Jaime, Melissa, Jonna and Morgan; 20 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

Marie was a private person and requested that no funeral services be held.

There will be a potluck celebration of life for friends and family held Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the American Legion Post 15 in Palmer. Marie also requested that she be cremated and her ashes be scattered over Kachemak Bay near Homer where she spent many happy weekends camping and fishing for halibut. She will be dearly missed.