Mike Hosford

It is with deep sorrow that we acknowledge the passing of Mike Hosford.
Mike was born January 16, 1952 in Skagway, Alaska, to Ed and Jigger Hosford. His early years were spent in Skagway and Haines. Mike met his wife, Sue, when they were teenagers in Thomas Bay. Mike’s family was logging and Sue’s family was fishing. Sue thought Mike looked like Elvis, they fell in love and were married for nearly 40 years. They were blessed with two daughters, Heather and Rachel. 
Mike and Sue raised their girls in Petersburg, Dyea and Juneau and later spent their retirement years back in the Dyea valley where he always felt he belonged. 
Mike achieved many things in his life. He had a strong work ethic and was a dependable employee. He was an excellent heavy equipment operator. He was a brother, father, grandfather, great grandfather, uncle and was a carer for many animals throughout his life.  Being with his dog Suzy and all the neighborhood dogs in Dyea brought Mike great joy. He especially loved old Hudson Brady who visited each day from West Creek.  Mike was empathetic, generous and found great purpose in helping his neighbors in Dyea. He especially loved his role as grandfather and his grandson Joe was able to honor his wishes to stay in Dyea for end of life care. 
Mike is survived by his brother Ray, his daughter Rachel and many grandchildren, nieces and nephews.  He will be remembered for his humor, kindness to family/neighbors, and firecracker personality.  We will all miss him greatly. 
We encourage you to honor Mike’s legacy by spending time with those you love (especially dogs) and by being a good friend to others. This, we believe, would be the best tribute to his very colorful life. 
In lieu of flowers, our family requests that any memorial contributions be made in Mike’s memory to Paws and Claws Animal Shelter in Skagway.