Obituary: Irene (Ikie) Shirley Roundtree, 92

Irene Shirley Roundtree was born on March 24, 1934, in Petersburg, Alaska, to Evelyn and Arnold 'Swede' Wasvick. She was their third daughter and grew up alongside her four sisters on the hill that would later be affectionately known as "Five Daughters Hill." Her two older sisters could not pronounce the baby's name, so she would forever be known as 'Ikie.'

Ikie loved school and participated in everything she could fit into her schedule. She was in every play, the choir, on the Riptide staff producing the school newspaper, and one of the Yell Queens, as the cheerleaders were called. After graduation, she continued her education at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, and completed her schooling in Oregon, where she became a beautician.

Ikie came home to Petersburg to open Irene's Beauty Shop above what is now Diamante Gift Shoppe. She enjoyed her shop for several years, but shifted from beauty work to aviation when she fell in love with fellow Petersburg alum Lloyd Roundtree. After marrying in 1955, they purchased Lon's Flying Service, renamed it Alaska Island Air, Incorporated, and ran the flying service as a team for the next 26 years.

After retiring, Ikie and Lloyd enjoyed cruising the waters and bays of Southeast Alaska aboard their beloved boat, the Copesetic. An avid reader of books, maps, and newspapers, Ikie was also a sports fan – especially of NASCAR, baseball, and football. She also loved berry picking and, much to her family's delight, kept her Norwegian heritage alive during the holidays by making rullepølse, spritz, fattigmann, and her famous lefse.

Like her four sisters, Ikie could dissolve into a fit of giggles that soon had everyone around her laughing, even when they had no idea what had started it. Her laughter is one of the many things her family will remember with love and fondness.

She was a member of the Lutheran Church, the Pioneers of Alaska, the Petersburg Emblem Club and one of the first to promote tourism in Petersburg.

Ikie passed away peacefully at home on Friday, September 4, 2026.

She is survived by her children, Dane Roundtree, Shannon (AI) Peeler, and Stacey (Ken) Madsen; her sisters, Jeannie Norheim, Patti Nelson, and Lynn Smith; and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

She was laid to rest in a private ceremony shortly after her death. She was loved by many and will be greatly missed.