All Obituaries

Ann Wilson Swift May 30, 1933 – April 23, 2022   Ann Wilson Swift was born on May 30th, 1933 in New York City to Margret Ledig Wilson and Joseph Orin Wilson. Her family moved briefly to Baltimore Maryland, where her younger brother, Peter, was born before settling in her hometown of Madison Wisconsin. Growing up there, Ann attended public schools, excelling as a student, particularly in reading and writing. She and a close friend read every novel in their elementary school...

Larry Jo Sunford, age 75 of Fairbanks, passed away on Friday, May 13, 2022. Larry was born on November 7, 1946 in Saco, Montana. He has lived in Alaska for over 32 years. He was married on March 7, 1991 to Ruth Darlene Greisz. He was a truck driver and mechanic. His family said, “Larry lived, laughed, and loved as hard as he worked”. Larry is survived by his loving wife, Ruthie Ann Sunford of 31 years, brother; Gary “Sunny” Sunford of Turner, MT, and a loving family...

Virginia Lee Vona, age 71 of North Pole, passed away on Sunday, May, 22, 2022. 

Timothy Dean James, age 60 of Fairbanks and Tetlin, passed away on April 27, 2022. His funeral will be held on Friday, May 20, 2022 at 1:30PM at Blanchard Family Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Birch Hill Native Cemetery.  A full obituary will be announced at a later date.

Carl Bruce Hazur, age 73 of North Pole, passed away on Thursday, May 12, 2022.

Philip Eugene Shenk, age 60 of North Pole, passed away on Wednesday, May 4, 2022 at home surrounded by his loving family due to cancer. Philip was born on October 10, 1961 in Salisbury, North Carolina. He married Edielou Komonczi on November 30, 1999. Philip and his family moved to Alaska 23 years ago. He was an MRI Supervisor at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital for 12 years. During those years, he helped bring the Imaging Center to life. He also worked at Bassett Army Hospital as an MRI...

Arvil “Gary” Taylor, age 88 of Fairbanks, passed away on Sunday, May 1, 2022 at home due to natural causes. Gary was born on October 4, 1933 in Ogden, UT. He moved to Alaska in 1965 and ended up living in Alaska off and on for 36 years. Gary married Claudia Cornell on May 3, 1973 in Anchorage. He was an extremely hard worker and loved Alaska. Gary always had adventure in his heart. He made sure his family’s lives were never boring. He taught his children the importance of...

Alexis lived life to the fullest. She grew up in New Mexico and Ohio, and eventually found herself in Alaska, where she would enjoy the beauty of all its wonders. She enjoyed traveling and looked forward to exploring the world to experience new things. Fantasy books, movies, and games were some of her favorites. She was passionate about animals, particularly cats. Her dream was to help every cat find a forever home. She had a laugh and smile that would light up the room and she always knew...

Perry Allan Taylor, age 65 of Fairbanks, passed away on Sunday, May 1, 2022. A Celebration of Life will be announced at a later date.

Virgil W. Hilliker, age 88, of Dot Lake, Alaska, passed away on April 27, 2022, in Fairbanks, Alaska. Virgil was born to Thuressa Vivian (Rupert)and Myron L. Hilliker, at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan on June 10, 1933. In the early 1950s, he joined the military and was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. During this time, he met his first wife and the mother of their six children, Della Mae. After the military he worked at Heckman (Keebler) until early...