Harlen Z. Thorpe

1913 - 2011

Harlen Zivney Thorpe died peacefully in her sleep Monday, May 30, 2011 at her home at Providence Horizon House in Anchorage. She was 3 months shy of 98 years old.
She was born in Oregon City, Ore., on Aug. 20, 1913. Her given name was Estella but her father, a cabbage farmer, gave her and her three sisters male nicknames - the name Harlen stuck.
Harlen had four children and worked hard all her life - at times she managed three jobs to make ends meet. In the 1970s, she moved to Alaska in search of adventure and a better life. She worked in Barrow and then settled in Fairbanks for 20 years working for Wien Airlines, and the Teamsters/Alaska Railroad Credit Union.
She loved gardening, reading, nature, her friends and her family. Those who knew Harlen treasured her frank honesty, her simple needs, her humor and her tenacity. She epitomized the tough Alaska pioneer.
A few Harlen-ism's: "You can do anything you're big enough to do. You need to go hungry.
"Don't get this old. Buck up. You wanna wrassle?"
Harlen is survived by her four children, Molly, Eileen, Terri and Richard; her sister, June Nelson; her daughter-in-law, Beth Schuerman; and her grandchildren, Trissa, Steve, Richelle and Trevor.
A memorial service is planned for 1:30 p.m., Friday, June 10, at Providence Horizon House Chapel, Anchorage.
Arrangements were entrusted to Anchorage Funeral Home.