MARTIN R. JACKSON
Apri 27, 1951 ~ Sept. 24, 2009
MARTIN R. JACKSON
Apri 27, 1951 ~ Sept. 24, 2009
Martin R. Jackson of Girdwood, 58, died Sept. 24, 2009, at Providence Alaska Medical Center and was born April 27, 1951, in Dayton, Ohio.
Martin Richard Jackson first visited Girdwood in the late 70's. At that time he was playing Saxophone and the Drums for ‘The Famous Spamtones' at the Fly by Night Club and ran his own electronics store in Anchorage. He would often come to Girdwood with his girlfriend (and later Wife) Diane, to enjoy the skiing and beauty of Alyeska. Before moving to Hawaii a few years later he bought a lot in Girdwood, knowing that one day he would return and build his home there.
After living in Hawaii for seven years, he came back to Girdwood and built his house. Since then he always knew that Girdwood was his home, it was the place and people he loved and he knew he would live the rest of his life there. Though he could no longer play music in professional gigs there, he always enjoyed playing at home, playing the flute, trombone, saxophone and drums was one of his greatest loves in the world. That love, however, did not compare to the love he felt for his two children, Keri and Jarryd, who would come to Alaska every summer.
There is nothing more he looked forward to than seeing his children. During the summer he would play catch and basketball with his son, go fishing, hiking, canoeing down Portage, and by far his favorite—taking his children to play pool at Max's Bar. Over the years, he took pride in both of his children's accomplishments, and forgave their mistakes. He loved to watch his son skateboarding, and in between the skate park, he passed on his skills and knowledge of plumbing and construction to his Son.
As most Girdwood residents know, Martin was the reliable person to call when any plumbing problems arose. He could be counted on to arrive during any emergency, at any hour of the day (or night!), and always had a way to fix the problem at hand. He worked alongside his good friend Fiddler for over 10 years, together they worked on hundreds of houses in Girdwood and he befriended almost the entire town. Money was never a concern to him, what brought him happiness was his ability to help others. Many will remember the favors and help he offered to the town.
Martin will be remembered as a very caring person, always quick to offer a helping hand to someone in need. He was a person who never judged someone by their mistakes, but by their accomplishments. He looked for the positive, and not the negative in people. Martin enjoyed the simple things in life; music, laughter, joke telling, and helping others. Many people have mentioned that if there were only more people like him—living only to offer understanding, help and happiness in the world—this planet would be a better place.
H. TROY HALL
April 2, 1976 ~ Sept. 12, 2009
H. TROY HALL
April 2, 1976 ~ Sept. 12, 2009
H. ‘Troy' Hall, 33, died unexpectedly Sept. 12, 2009.
Troy was born on April 2, 1976, at the Anchorage Community Hospital to Diane and Hal Hall.
He attended Diamond & Wasilla High School. He graduated from Wasilla in 1994 with numerous academic and athletic achievements. He attended the University of Northern Arizona and the University of Alaska Anchorage. He was a proud member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
While attending college, Troy worked in Alaska for various moving companies and also at the Red Dog Mine. Since 2006, Troy worked as a well service technician for CH2MHill at Prudhoe Bay where he proved to be an adept teacher, mentor and public speaker.
Troy was a lifelong Alaskan and avid outdoorsman who enjoyed biking, fishing and skiing.
He was also an accomplished poker player who placed 28th out of a field of 1500 at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
He had a childhood passion for hockey. He played the position of goalie and excelled at the sport from an early age. While growing up in Anchorage, he competed in a variety of local and international tournaments. Recently, he shared his passion for the sport as a volunteer youth coach.
He is survived by his mother and step-father Diane and Bruce Holt; father Hal L. Hall; brother Ryan Holt; sister Olivia Duran; grandparents Jauna and John Edwards; grandfather, Carl M. Hall; aunts Nelta Edwards and Mandy Kaempf; aunts and uncles, Bryant and Angie Edwards, June and Tom Wilk, Janet and Dennis Hook, and Larry and Edith Gentry; cousins, Brenda Wilk, Ray Perkins, and Justin and Audrey Edwards; and dear family friends, Sonny Haynes, Melinda Lewis and Elizabeth Fitzgerald.
Mr. Hall was preceded in death by his grandparents Norma and Ray Gentry and Agnus and James Holt.
A memorial service was held at the Alaskan Heritage Memorial Chapel in Wasilla on Sept. 19. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Troy's memory to the South Anchorage Mighty Moose Hockey Association, 11111 O'Malley Centre Drive, Anchorage, AK 99515.
