Obituary: Kathleen Kay Hosford

Kathleen "Kathy" Kay Hosford passed away at age 69 after living the kind of life that cannot be measured simply in years. Hers must be measured in miles traveled, roads built, causes championed and lives forever changed by knowing her.

Kathy was born on October 7, 1956, in Seattle, Washington, to Delbert "Pete" Erickson and Irene Bokovoy Erickson. The youngest of five children, she grew up with her siblings Judy, Steve, Sue, and Mike. She spent her early years in Auburn, Washington, before her family sought more "elbow room" and opportunity in Alaska in 1967. They arrived in Petersburg aboard the Irene E, a fishing boat her father built. Working alongside her family taught Kathy grit, resourcefulness and determination.

Kathy remained in Petersburg for several years, graduating from Petersburg High School. Over the years she lived in many communities around the state, including Wrangell, Hollis, Elfin Cove, Hoonah, Pelican, Tenakee Springs, Kake, Sitka, Fairbanks, Girdwood, Chicken, Prudhoe Bay, Valdez, and Skagway. Yet Dyea held the deepest claim on her heart.

In 1976, Kathy married Fred Hosford, the love of her life and her partner in nearly five decades of work, family, travel, and adventure. Their children, Desi and Eric, soon followed. Kathy helped her mother and sisters operate Irene's Restaurant in Petersburg and Irene's Inn in Skagway. When the White Pass railroad closed in 1984, Kathy and Fred packed up their young family and moved to Maui, enjoying two winters of the "Island Life", while returning to Southeast Alaska each summer for road construction work.

Kathy was skilled at operating all kinds of heavy equipment, but the grader was her favorite. It demanded precision and expertise, which suited her perfectly. Over the years, she worked on numerous road construction projects, at pump stations along Alaska's oil pipeline, and drove a dump truck for the City of Fairbanks during snow removal season. The family settled in Fairbanks in 1987, where Kathy and Fred finished raising their children.

When Desi and Eric were grown, Kathy and Fred decided to semi-retire. Since slowing down was never one of Kathy's strengths, her version of retirement included opening a food truck called Klondike Kate's where they served fresh Alaska seafood supplied from her brother Mike's commercial fish plant in Juneau.

In 1999, the couple returned to Skagway and Kathy began designing, building and eventually operating for more than 20 years, the Chilkoot Trail Outpost in Dyea. What they created became far more than a lodge. It was an extension of Kathy's gift for hospitality. Thousands of guests came through its doors from across the country and around the world. Many arrived as strangers and left feeling like family. That was Kathy's way.

During the winter months, Kathy and Fred traveled to warmer places and reconnected with friends around the country. Each February, they made a point of attending the Alaska Picnic in Yuma, a tradition they treasured. They shared nearly 47 years of marriage before Fred died in 2023. His loss broke Kathy's heart, but nothing could diminish the extraordinary life they shared or the lasting legacy of love they created together.

Kathy's accomplishments were remarkable. She studied engineering at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Anchorage, as well as Native culture and bookkeeping through the University of Alaska Southeast in Sitka. In high school, she represented Petersburg at Alaska Girls State and was named Student of the Year. After graduation, her independent spirit carried her abroad to study in Spain and Denmark. Over the years she completed training in CPR, HAZMAT, first response, commercial driving, welding, oil spill response, and mining safety administration. If something needed to be built, repaired, driven, organized, or figured out, Kathy could probably do it.

Perhaps her most defining quality was conviction. Kathy did not sit quietly on the sidelines when something mattered. She devoted countless hours to improving transportation, roads, economic development, public safety, and the future of Southeast Alaska. She served in leadership and board roles with the Skagway and Alaska State Chambers of Commerce, the Skagway Transportation Committee, Southeast Conference, the Dyea Advisory Board, the Alaska Tourism Industry Association, and the Alaska Seismic Hazard Safety Commission. She also served on the Alaska State Officers Compensation Commission and supported efforts involving cancer awareness, domestic violence prevention, and the Choose Respect March.

Kathy brought the same energy to her political involvement. For more than a decade, she represented Dyea at Alaska Republican Party state conventions, held district leadership roles, and traveled throughout the state for committee meetings. In 2016, she was selected as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Ohio. She worked on campaigns for approximately 15 years and opened the Chilkoot Trail Outpost for political fundraisers. Whether or not people agreed with her, they never had to wonder where Kathy stood. She respected the courage it took to stand for something.

For all her public accomplishments, some of Kathy's finest work happened in the kitchen. She often joked that she could "drag a clam through water, call it chowder, and people will love it." They did.

Kathy's borscht was the most treasured family recipe, adapted from her mother Irene and rooted in the Ukrainian heritage of her Bokovoy and Sloboden families. Anyone fortunate enough to taste it would likely agree it was the best!

Kathy's faith in God was the foundation beneath her courage. It was central to who she was and guided the way she lived, loved, and faced each day. Her faith carried her through life's hardest seasons and shaped the values by which she lived.

Kathy was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Fred; her parents, Pete and Irene; her sisters, Sue and Judy; and her brother, Steve. She is survived by her brother, Mike, and his wife, Bonnie; her daughter, Desi, and husband, Trent Tucker; her son, Eric, and his fiancé, Wendy; and her beloved grandchildren, CJ, Kalina, Armour, Cannon, Diesel, and Rockwell. Of all the roles Kathy held in her remarkable life, few brought her more joy than being their Nana.

Later in life, Kathy was blessed with an unexpected and beautiful new chapter through her love, Jerry Saravo. Jerry and his family welcomed and embraced her wholeheartedly, bringing companionship, happiness, and renewed light to her life. Kathy also leaves behind many cousins, in-laws, nieces, nephews, dear friends, and the many children who lovingly knew her as Nana KK.

There will never be another Kathy. She was a builder in every meaning of the word. She built roads, businesses, buildings, communities, relationships, and a beautiful family legacy. She was tough enough to work alongside Alaska's finest and tender enough to make a stranger feel at home. She walked over 5 miles a day down the Dyea Road for many years, unafraid of bears. Not having the same confidence, Fred followed behind in the truck with a .45 Long Colt at the ready. Bears did not worry Kathy. Yet mice would make her shriek. It was an endearing contradiction in a woman who seemed fearless about nearly everything else.

She lived boldly. She worked relentlessly. She loved fiercely. She spoke her mind, stood firmly in her faith, and fought for what she believed was right. Her absence is immeasurable, but so is the gratitude. Gratitude for the adventures, the lessons, the laughter, the meals around her table.

The family held an intimate gathering in Seattle on October 3rd to celebrate Kathy's life. A memorial service open to all is planned in Alaska this spring. Details will be shared as soon as they are available. Please contact the family if you would like to be notified.

Perhaps no image captures Kathy's legacy more beautifully than the purple wild iris that bloom across the Dyea flats each summer. Like those wildflowers, she was strong, resilient, beautiful, and deeply rooted in the Alaska she proudly called home.