Frank O. Williams, Jr.

From the Daily Sitka Sentinel, October 27, 1981:

Frank O. Williams Jr.'s Tlingit names were Quaats and Dleit Y’ax Woonei. He was Raven, T’akdeintaan, Mt. Fairweather House and Snail House and the child of the Choo Ka Naa Dei.

He was 80 years old and “peaceful walked into the forest” on Jan. 5, 2016.

An Alaska Native Brotherhood memorial service will be 11 a.m. Jan. 20 at the Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi community house. Burial will be at 1 p.m. at Sitka National Cemetery, 803 Sawmill Creek Road, performed by a U.S. Marine Corps Honor Guard, with full military honors. A reception will follow at the Sitka ANB Founders Hall.

Frank was raised in Hoonah with his siblings, Alice, Adeline and Richard. After their mother’s passing at an early age, and a devastating town fire, the children were raised with assistance from Oscar and Lizzie Williams, along with Matthew and Annie Lawrence and Archie and Winnie Brown.

Their lifestyle was living off the land, and they fished, hunted, picked berries, had a large garden, gathered clams, cockles, gumboots, herring eggs, sea gull eggs and crabs to name a few daily activities. They preserved food and used just what they needed during the year. The lifestyle was focused and centered on living off the land, often referred to as “subsistence.”  Frank was very proud to testify for the rights of Alaska Natives to continue to live off the land. 

Later in life his father married Helen Weaver, adopted by the T’akdeintaan, by James Grant. Added to the family were a brother and two sisters, John, June and Alice. 

When he was 3, he started learning the Tlingit language, dances and activities from his grandparents, uncles and aunts. He continued to participate in as many tribal activities as he could.

He attended grade school in Hoonah, graduated in 1953 from Mt. Edgecumbe High School, and attended Western Washington College of Education.

He married Mabel T. Miller, adopted by Kaagwaantaan, Wolf House, by Annie Lawrence.  They have four  

 Frank O. was a commercial fisherman, mainly seining, trolling, and gillnetting, serving as a crewmember and captain. He ran his own trolling and gillnetting boats, and with his father he also worked in the web house sewing seine for the Icy Strait fishing fleet prior to the start of the fishing season.

He served his country as a United States Marine from 1955 to 1958.

Frank was with the Indian Health Service Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital for 31 years, ending his tenure as a Community Relations Officer. Under this position  he assisted the Service Unit director, and was liaison with villages, communities, Natives and non-Natives, provided orientation in Native culture to all employees and represented Indian Health Service at most cross-cultural activities as a presenter, panel member or guest speaker.

As the first CRO in the Indian Health Service, he helped establish a worthwhile and needed position which other Service units emulated.

He had many career opportunities – in Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Washington, D.C., and in Alaska  in Bethel, Nome and Port Barrow. He elected to stay in Southeast Alaska, mainly Mt. Edgecumbe. It was a family decision centered around his children and his desire to maintain his involvement with tribal activities and Native organizations – local, regional, state and national. As a CRO and tribal leader, he testified many times on behalf of Hoonah, Glacier Bay, Sitka, and Southeast Alaska in general. 

Among his many accomplishments was being an organizer and the first chairman of the following boards: Native/Indian Health Board, Alaska Native Board of Health, and National Indian Health Board.

He was the main contributor in writing the by-laws and first contracts with the Indian Health Service. The Native Board of Health of Southeast Alaska was incorporated and the name changed to Southeast Alaska Regional Health Corporation (SEARHC) in 1975.

As a member of the Alaska Governor’s Advisory Board on Alcohol and Drug Abuse for over eight years, he reviewed grants and programs and made recommendations to the governor. He also reviewed legislation and priorities for the alcohol and drug programs.

Over the years, he maintained contact with governors, including Bill Egan, Jay Hammond and Steve Cowper, and with Sen. Ted Stevens, Congressman Don Young and state legislators Eliason, Grussendorf and Duncan.

A member of the Alaska Native Brotherhood since 1943 Frank O. was grand president and parliamentarian emeritus, ANB executive committee member. From 1960, he served as ANB grand president, ANB grand treasurer, and Sitka ANB president (for 15 terms) and held officer positions.

He was a member of the Sitka Lions Club, Sitka Elks Lodge, Sitka Chamber of Commerce, Sitka Moose Lodge, and the American Legion. He continued his community service, taking part in activities, charities like MDA, American Heart Association and many others.

He was an experienced parliamentarian and helped manage meetings for Alaska Native Brotherhood, Alaska Federation of Natives, Tlingit-Haida conventions, Lions Club and Doyon Inc. annual meetings, and Republican conventions. He also taught Robert’s Rules of Order and Tlingit cultural courses at the local community colleges and had provided workshops/orientations at various conferences. 

He was a board member of the Huna Totem Corporation for eight terms beginning in 1972. While chairman he developed a plan to get out of debt and become profitable; was instrumental in establishing a Shareholders Trust Fund and Huna Totem Foundation; and directed the board to look for other business activities to remain profitable.

Frank received many awards and was highly regarded for his dedication and service to the Alaska Native communities in Southeast and statewide: 1978-79 Distinguished Service award from the Lions Club, 1981 National Indian Health Board for efforts to improve the health status of American Indians and Alaska Natives, 1985 Royal Order of the Cossack Cap by Sitka Chamber of Commerce for “Unselfish and extraordinary public service to the citizens of Sitka,” 1985 Tlingit Haida Citizen of the Year, 1985 Outstanding Alaskan by the Alaska State Legislature, 1988 Southeast Alaska Regional Health Corporation honor in recognition and appreciation of outstanding community service, 1989 and 1990 HUD Superior Service Award as chairman of Baranof Island Housing Authority, 1996 Grand Camp Alaska Native Brotherhood Lifetime Achievement Award, and 2005 SEARHC Board of Directors Award.

He enjoyed sports – played basketball with Hoonah and Sitka ANB teams, and took part in baseball, softball, bowling, pool, and running, and kept up with other sports activities.

He did a lot of hunting and fishing,  loved to travel, and especially looked forward to participating in the Sitka Salmon Derby aboard the F/V Midori (Larry and Juliana’s boat). Fishing brought him a sense of peace.

He enjoyed telling jokes, playing bingo, listening to music and dancing. He took pride in his grandchildren and attended their sport activities and tournaments: swimming, soccer, baseball, and basketball.

He also attended son Frank O. III’s and son-in-law John Young’s softball games; and followed college and professional volleyball, basketball, soccer, Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, and Seattle Sounders games.

Frank O. is survived by his children Ida (James) Boeckstiegel of Renton, Wash..; Lisa (John) Young of Redmond, Ore., Juliana (Larry) Fitzsimmons of Sitka,  and Frank O. Williams III, Redmond.

His sisters and brothers are Adeline (Gene) Burton of Sitka, Richard N. Williams of Sitka, June (Randy) Kinney of Anchorage, John O. Williams of Anchorage, and Alice D. Phipps, Sitka.

He also is survived by his grandchildren Tyler L. Young, Patrick A. Young and Michelle R. Young (all of Redmond), Kyle W. Fitzsimmons and Ethan D. Fitzsimmons (both of Sitka); and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Frank O. was preceded in death by his wife, Mabel T. Williams; sister, Alice P. Williams; brother-in-law, Matthew Williams Sr.; and his niece Cynthia Williams.

During his lifetime, he was recognized for his tribal leadership, dedication and service to communities and organizations.  But he loved his family most of all and made sure he was available for whatever the family needed.  He had a full life and will be missed by all.