Stevie Lynn Young was born to Carlee Heinmiller Young and Will Young at 3:45 a.m. Saturday, April 16 in Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colo. Stevie weighed 6 lbs., 13 oz., and measured 20 inches. Grandmom Judy Erekson was on hand for the birth and said Carlee was a “birthing rock star,” delivering Stevie less than two hours after arriving at the hospital. Cousins Ben Egolf and wife Emily and C.J. Erekson and husband Dennis Melvin of Fort Collins provided food and support. Stevie is Carlee and Will’s first child.
Nathan Piper and Elsie Fullerton were married at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 10 along the Chilkat River at Jones Point. Pastor Sage Thomas of New Hope Fellowship presided over the ceremony that included vows written by the couple. In attendance were Elsie’s parents Mike and Alekka Fullerton, sister Annie Fullerton and Annie’s fiancé Sean Silk, Nathan’s aunt Tammy Piper, and his cousin Corey Piper. The nuptials included a lemon cake by Rebecca Kameika, photos by Melissa Bastable, and flowers by Doris Bell. Nathan, a 2011 Haines High School grad, works as a commercial fisherman and Kensington miner. Elsie, a medical student, moved to Haines in 2015. The couple is expecting a child on May 2. A wedding celebration with extended family and friends is planned in the future.
Doris May Horner, 91, died April 11 in Spearfish, S.D. A registered nurse and mother of four, Doris lived in Haines from 1973-75. She worked at the medical clinic with Dr. Stan Jones and also at Helen’s Shop and at the Haines Department of Natural Resources office. Born Sept. 29, 1930, in Woonsocket, S.D., Doris, and their husband Chuck Horner moved in 1964 from South Dakota to Anchorage, where Chuck served as a Methodist pastor. She also lived in Ketchikan and Sitka before returning to South Dakota. Doris enjoyed fishing, canoeing, kayaking, gardening, knitting and reading. She is survived by four children, 10 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Haines’s family members include Greg Horner, Marley Horner, Lori Sele, Lisa Shove, George Shove, and Dutch Shove. A memorial service will be held in Spearfish in late May.
The Chilkat Valley is featured in a six-page photo essay by Michelle Theall in May’s Alaska Magazine. The piece is titled “Out the Road: Haines Is Weird and Wonderful” and includes photos of Eldred Rock, the eagle preserve, Hammer Museum, Dalton City and Kroschel Wildlife Park, Moosehorn Laundromat, and the “Honeymoon Hotel” roadside attraction. Residents Sidney Campbell and Paul Wheeler are featured.
Haines Senior Center manager Cari O’Daniel wants to know if seniors living beyond 10 Mile Haines Highway are interested in home delivery of senior lunch. If there’s interest, she’ll also need a volunteer driver. Contact Cari daily at the senior center, 766-2383, between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Mountain bluebirds are passing through town. Crystal Badgley reports she and her husband Al spotted six Tuesday at the former tank farm property on Lutak Road and ones also were spotted last week on the Chilkat Inlet beach along Mud Bay Road. They’re typically seen here for about a week, on their way to the summer range in the Interior, heading as far north as the Koyukuk River. The bright, azure plumage of males makes them a bird-watching favorite.
Former resident, Travis Reid is training Chilkat Guides in swift-water rescue near 8 Mile Haines Highway this week. Reid lives in Bend, Ore., and heads up a company that trains firefighters and search and rescue teams in Oregon and Washington. He also works on the “Whitewater Gold Rush” show. Travis partners with fellow former river guide Lorin Hayden in a company that remediates mold-damaged buildings. He was looking forward to speaking on the KHNS “Safety Report” on Wednesday. Daughter Zoey recently earned an associate degree in business. Zoey’s younger sister Kali graduates high school next month and will attend the University of Oregon.
Chloe Goodson is now Chloe Goodson-Schwartz. The former American Bald Eagle Foundation worker married Greggory Schwartz on April 13 at the University of Florida Natural History Museum’s Butterfly Rainforest, where butterflies alighted on wedding guests. Chloe has been working at an animal shelter and will start studying nuclear medical technology at Keiser University next month. Gregg is the customer success manager for Ellucian. They live in Leesburg, Fla.
Haines High School athletic director Lynzee Swinton reports that Saturday’s car wash fundraiser earned $2,600 for the track team. Runners scrubbed more than 100 vehicles. The money will pay for travel to the state meet in Anchorage and team gear.