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Joe Brooking McGaughey

1929 - 2013

Joe Brooking McGaughey obituary, 1929-2013, Kenai, AK

BORN

1929

DIED

2013

Joe McGaughey Obituary

Joe Brooking McGaughey, who was the original homesteader and patent holder of a 160-acre homestead on Island Lake Road in Nikiski, died on Saturday March 23, 2013 in Melbourne, Australia, where he had lived for the last 40 years.
Mr. McGaughey was 87 years old and is survived by his wife of 65 years, Lillian, whom he met in Canada while on his way to Alaska in 1949. They had seven children, 13 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and several great-great grandchildren.
He was born in 1926, joined the Navy when he was just 17 years old during WWll and was aboard the SS Enterprise in the battle for Iwo Jima. Upon his release from the Navy he settled in Alaska, where he built a log home, known as "The Big House" to distinguish it from the temporary cabin made of Tem-Tex, where he and his family lived for a year while the Big House was built. The log home, which housed all nine of the family, did not have one nail in it, as he whittled pegs out of wood to secure the logs.
In 1964 he sold the homestead to Murray Bell, who then sold it to the Millers, and it later became known as Miller's Hideaway. His life on the homestead is recorded in the book "Just Breathing the Air," available on lulu.com.
Mr. McGaughey was of Ulster-Scot heritage, whose people had settled in Texas. When he came to Alaska, he brought with him the survival skills he learned from hard times during the Great Depression growing up on a Texas farm.
His daughter Lydia writes, "I am so proud of my Daddy and I have been so blessed that he and mother raised me. I love their Ulster-Scots and Scots heritage and the personality, determination, adventure, creativity, innovation, and individuality they got from their own parents. It made them fearless and confident. He taught all of us the Bible at home, where we often worshipped when we were too snowed in to get into town. He was an active member of the church of Christ both in Kenai and in Anchor Point. Daddy was a great man, who always supported his family with his own hands, working for others, or for his own business during our years in Homer, and I know there is a lot about him that I want to pass on to my descendants."
McGaughey lived in Alaska several years previous to 1949, but finally settled on the homestead from 1952-1964. He moved his family to Homer in 1964 to start a new life in the fishing business, built his own boat and welded his own crab and shrimp pots. He fished for Ekron Canning Company between 1965 and 1967.
In 1967 he read of the Australian government invitation for Americans to settle in Australia, and moved his family to Tasmania, Australia.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Peninsula Clarion on Apr. 21, 2013.

Memories and Condolences
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5 Entries

Lydia Sherman

April 16, 2020

My father. Still missed. Still want to talk to him every day. I miss his varied and vast knowledge of how things work. He could find a way to do things, always. Very independent and self reliant. Worked so hard all his life for his family, and then came home from the oil fields and started building something or planting something.

Lydia Sherman

April 26, 2013

Thanks, Lance. There is a photo of him on his "cat" in his book' which was mentioned in the legacy articlke. I remember meeting him on some land he was clearing and having lunch on the ground.

Lance Ware

April 24, 2013

My condolences, I recall your father and remember him running his JOHN DEERE tractor he had back then. He pioneered the road back to the house and pulled a disk around the field to break up the ground. I recall the log house and all of the family also.

Lydia McGaughey Sherman

April 21, 2013

Thank you for posting the link to Just Breathing the Air at lulu.com. It has many colorful homestead photos from the 1950's and one particularly vivid photo of the blue lake, covered in what we children called "a thousand sparkling diamonds" as the sun caught the ripples in the water.

April 21, 2013

Dear Lydia,
I'm so soory for your loss. I remember being at your family house and us playing as children. I just ask Jesus to bless you and your family at this time. Remember to also rejoise for the time you'e had to spend time and learn from him and will have those wonderful memories forever.
My love to you and yours,
Marie McGahan Halderson

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