This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: sueevison Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.alaska.upperukon/234.1.1.1.1.2.3/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Johnson, Florence Belle View/Sign Guest Book Florence Belle Johnson, 70, was born at home in Eagle on Nov. 10, 1938, to Grafton "Horace" and Louise (Lord) Biederman. She died Feb. 10, 2009, in Fairbanks. Her childhood nickname was "Flossie" and many Eagle folks still call her that. After her mother died when Florence was 4, she and her brother, Junior, were raised in Eagle by their father, Horace, Grandma Bella and aunts. She fondly remembered the summers that her family went to their fishing camp on the Yukon River at Charley Creek (commonly referred to on maps as Biederman Camp). In 1956, she married her beloved husband, Harold E. Johnson. They lived at and raised their daughter and son at Gardiner Creek Highway Camp on the Alaska Highway east of Northway until moving 'up' to Tok in 1974. Florence was well known as a moose hunter and subsistence king salmon fisherwoman. She spent her summers at her childhood home in Eagle and winters at her home in Tok. When she was eating moose or salmon and vegetables from her garden, she would say with a big smile, "That's my life!" Her patience was legendary. She would sit quietly for hours in one spot when hunting -- occasionally making a moose call and then waiting for a moose to step out for her to shoot. Her husband would be out on a big hunt somewhere; Florence would shoot a moose while he was gone and have it hanging when he returned without a moose, and he would smile and say, "Now the pressure is off and we have meat." Her salmon strips and preserved salmon were the best ? she followed the same process as her grandfather, father and Uncle Charlie. She shared her process with her children, grandsons and many friends. In addition to hunting and fishing, Florence enjoyed gardening, crafting, knitting, crocheting and beading. She loved to swap hunting, trapping and fishing stories with her family and friends. No matter the weather, one of her daily rituals was to spend some time outdoors, even if it was just sitting on the porch; or once dishes were done after dinner, she would get her cold weather gear on and ride her snowmachine. Florence was preceded in death by her husband, Harold E. Johnson; parents, Grafton "Horace" and Louise (Lord) Biederman; grandparents, Adolf "Ed" and Bella (Roderick) Biederman; brother, Horace David "Junior" Biederman; son, Eugene Dale Johnson; grandson, Jason Nathaniel Howard; uncle, Charlie Biederman; aunts, Clara Biederman, Mable "Johnny" Perkins and Doris Frey; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Vernon and Phyllis Johnson. She is survived by daughter, Eloise M. Howard of Tok; grandson, Bradley R. Howard of Tok; great-grand-daughters, Destiny Angel Howard and Cera Jade Howard of Tok; aunts, Nellie Briggs of Eagle, Jessie Wells of Fairbanks and Elsie Clayton of Seattle; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Bud and Pam Johnson of Tok; many other brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law that live in the Lower 48; numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, grandchildren of her heart; and many, many friends. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to the "Florence Johnson Memorial Fund" at Denali State Bank, P.O. Box 579, Tok, AK 99780. Donations will be used to fund trapping school scholarships for young people through the Alaska Trapper's Association. A memorial service will be held in Tok at 3 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 22, at the Tok School Gym. Florence will be laid to rest in Eagle around Memorial Day after the Taylor Highway is opened. Arrangements were by Fairbanks Funeral Home. Published in the Daily News-Miner on 2/21/2009 Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.