James Stephen Shook was born Sept. 24, 1941 and passed away May 27, 2026. Over his lifetime of 84 years he accomplished many things, beginning at the age of 11 when he, his mother and father, sister Susan and dog Bitsy drove up the Alcan for his father to accept a job at Fort Richardson, near Anchorage. As his father was a bit of a vagabond, by the time Jim graduated from high school, the family, which now included brother Scott, had lived in Anchorage, Eagle River and Homer – finally settling in Haines. Jim left shortly after that move and went to Juneau where he worked as a hotel clerk and played drums at a club at night for extra money. While there, he met Michelle and soon after their wedding, they left for California to attend college. 1968 found them heading back up the Alcan Highway, Jim newly graduated from college and with a year-old daughter, Katrina. He had always wanted to be in law enforcement, so he went immediately into the trooper academy. He loved being an Alaska State Trooper. He traveled all over the state, was the first trooper on the North Slope during the pipeline construction, was an investigator, had motorcycle duty, and made lifelong, lasting friendships both in the troopers and in the communities where he served. Second daughter Rebecca joined the family in 1973. While his first marriage did not last, he was a very proud, loving father to his two girls.

1980 found Jim and his second wife, Ann, the owners of a lodge on the Alaska Highway – The 1260 Inn. He took a hiatus from the troopers and they ran the lodge for eight successful years. When this marriage ended, Jim headed back to Haines, where he first worked at a lumber mill and then on the movie White Fang being filmed in Haines. In 1992 he reconnected with high school sweetheart, Julie. They were married for 34 wonderful years, living in Fairbanks for almost 10 years and then in Haines for nearly 25. Jim returned to law enforcement as a probation officer and then, just before his retirement in 1999, as a corrections officer at the Fairbanks Correctional Center. Through all this, he was always the “go to” guy. “Hey, Jim, how do I fix this?” “Hey, Jim, do you have this part?” He was never happier than when he was in his work clothes, down in his garage, puttering, making a tool if one could not be found or did not exist, and just helping friends and neighbors. Jim never met a stranger and he was a great storyteller with a never-ending supply for any occasion. He was an artist and a carver.

He had a great sense of humor that never failed him and he would eat almost anything, so long as it had mayonnaise and/or butter on it. He was an avid community volunteer, working with the American Bald Eagle Foundation, the American Legion, the Haines Sheldon Museum, the Eldred Rock Lighthouse Preservation Association, the Chilkat Valley Historical Society and others. He was preceded in death by his parents, Leon and Betty Shook, and younger brother, Scott. He is survived by wife Julie Shook, daughters Katrina Hooper and Rebecca Serpas (Rob); granddaughter Miranda Shook; grandson Taylor Cowan (Margarette, nee Jones), sister Susan Johnston (Fred) and niece, Andrea Deppner (Herky). A celebration of life is planned for late this summer in Haines.