Dr. John Joseph "Joe" Lounsbury

1941 - 2016

Dr. John Joseph "Joe" Lounsbury passed away at 75 on Oct. 24, 2016, in his home, surrounded by family.
Joe was born to Lloyd and Faye Lounsbury on April 30, 1941, at St. Joseph's Hospital in Fairbanks. A fourth-generation Alaskan, he lived his early years at Old Clipper Gold Mine on Ester Dome. Eventually, the family moved to Slaterville in Fairbanks as his father, Lloyd, began employment with the Alaska Road Commission. Joe and his three brothers would share tales of walking to Main school in the winter, taking the fastest and warmest route by cutting through stores such as the Co-op.
In high school, Joe owned a 1952 Ford pickup that he maintained himself and a hydroplane boat he raced locally. An accomplished water skier, Joe competed in the local slalom, but one of his favorite tricks was taking off from the dock, standing on a 4x4 piece of plywood, with tow rope in one hand and a chair in the other, then placing the chair behind to sit down and enjoy the cruise. He had a passion for flight, and soloed his first airplane at 16 years old. In 1960, Joe tried parachuting, almost landing on the construction site of Joy School.
He graduated from Lathrop High in 1959, and then operated heavy equipment during summer months to pay his way through college. Joe was intelligent and resourceful. An entrepreneur, even in his youth, he always was contemplating new interests, with many projects in the works.
He attended UAF and continued on to graduate from Pacific University College of Optometry in 1967. Classmates said he progressed effortlessly; they would study diligently before an exam and be lucky to earn a "C," while Joe would ace the test. He amazed many friends with his ability to memorize, as many as 200 different things in one sitting, and then repeat them to you in any order you like.
While in college, he met the love of his life, Jeri Steffensen, at a theater in Forest Grove, Oregon. He was watching friends in the play "ByeByeBirdie." Only a few seats away, Jeri heard him laughing from his toes up and was immediately attracted. They married in Portland in 1966. After graduating, Joe returned to Fairbanks with Jeri, and had a son, John Jr., and then daughter, Rachael.
He eventually opened his own practice in the Northward Building and later purchased a building across from the News-Miner that went on to house several restaurants; Uncle's Pizza Parlor, a favorite of many, along with his "Uncles" basketball team. During the pipeline boom, he opened Steak and Pipes, which housed a large theater pipe organ.
He honed a technique for making his own contact lenses. A visiting doctor from Russia with a difficult prescription exclaimed that he "tried lenses from all over the world with no success" and insisted "it could not be done." Joe loved to hear those words. He made the doctor a pair of hand lathed contact lenses that performed perfectly. Joe then traveled to Novosibirsk, Russia, to share his craft. Joe and Jeri even enrolled in a Russian language course at UAF to enhance relations.
He loved his twin engine Cessna and would fly to Barrow and Nome to provide eye examinations to the residents. An excellent optometrist, well-respected by his peers with his gregarious personality and professional knowledge, he could also give a captivating account of local history. He was the optometrist for Sam's Club and Walmart, and later joined Vista Optical, where he was very happy. As usual, his patients followed him everywhere.
Thrilled to run heavy equipment, he developed a gravel pit to enjoy a larger variety of machinery. Affectionately known as "Doc" by many, stories of people visiting Alaska and meeting "Dr. Lounsbury" for the first time can be humorous. They'd find him wearing the expected dress shirt, tie, slacks, and to their surprise, muddy tennis shoes, and he's running a bulldozer? Back at the office, you would hear, "Has anyone seen Doc? Patients are lining up!" But everybody knew where he was.
His daughter, Rachael, would say, "Dad's playing in his sandbox!"
Joe's energy was contagious, easily motivating others to learn and develop skills. He provided encouragement, financial aid and sometimes housing. He truly enjoyed his many friends and acquaintances. Anyone who has shared a meal with him knows that within minutes, he would be turning your napkin or place mat upside down and sketching out his latest plan. Friends of John Jr. would say, "I want to be your dad; he's lived 10 lifetimes!"
Another friend quoted Joe saying,"I need for nothing, but I want to do everything!"
He loved his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and even in illness, enjoyed their company and affection. He loved music and encouraged his talented grandchildren to enhance their skills.
Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Lloyd and Faye Lounsbury. He is survived by his brothers, Lloyd Jr. (Edith), George (Bobbie) and Jim (Lorna); children, John Lounsbury Jr., Rachael Stark (Jeremy), Jeff Wright (Evelyn), Deline Laughlin (Keven), Candy Laiti (Jim) and Brent Wright; his grandchildren, Ashley, Samantha, David, Taian, Ayla, Mike, Jennifer, Brittney, Harrison, Kory, Kenya; and great-grandchildren, Aidan, Gavin and Margot.
Special thanks to Dad's friends, Bob Darling and Jerry Sadler, who helped bring him back to his home in Fairbanks where the family could be together for Joe's final days. Many thanks to hospice, and to his full-time caregivers, Sarah and Beth, for always making Joe as comfortable as possible.
A man of many titles, but we always will know and remember him as "Dad," "Papa," and Joe. The family will be having a private memorial in summer 2017. If anyone would like to share their thoughts or memories of Joe, please use the legacy.com link provided by the News-Miner, or mail to: P.O. Box 70403 Fairbanks, AK 99707.