Joseph Maurice Killion

1943 - 2023

With sadness, yet fond remembrance, we announce the passing of Joe Killion on Dec. 18, 2023, in Mount Vernon, Washington.

Joseph Maurice Killion was born Sept. 4, 1943, to Maurice and Genevieve Killion in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. Joe didn't like saying that he was not born in the great territory of Alaska, but he proudly proclaimed that he had definitely been conceived there.

Maurice and Genevieve were a 1940s vintage of a mixed marriage. He liked Caterpillar dozers and Army surplus weasels and trucks, while she preferred beautiful flowers and a vegetable garden. There was a constant struggle for space at their Front Street property in Graehl. The Killion shop was a favorite venue for guys like Joe Vogler and Bobby Miller, where Joe took in some great orations when he was a kid.

Joe was raised in an early Fairbanks with the Noyes Slough swinging bridge, dusty streets and lots of log cabins. It was a magical time and Joe, his younger brother, Mick and sister, Thea, made lifelong friends in Graehl and the Catholic school community. In the big basement of the Killion home, Joe had lots of tube radios in various states of repair and one functioning juke box. The music of the 50s and 60s was great with a new rock 'n roll song a week. You could dance to the tunes and the words had meaning in our lives, like "Shoop, shoop" and "Rama lama ding dong."

Joe graduated from Monroe High School in 1962. In addition to many spectacular pranks, Joe became an accomplished skier at Cleary Summit. He enrolled in Gonzaga University and earned a degree in electrical engineering with a minor in "keggers."

After graduation in 1968 he came home to Fairbanks to start his career at Golden Valley Electric. Drafted in October of l968, he was on active duty in the U.S. and Germany until July 1970. Part of his job in Germany was to be a ski instructor at an Army ski resort, which sure beat going to Vietnam.

Joe spent 74 years of his life living in his beloved Fairbanks, Alaska. He and his wife, Teresa, were married in 1984. They soon welcomed their daughter, Rosemary, and son, Brian, to their family, enjoying all the activities of a busy young family.

Over a period of 38 years he worked as a Registered Electrical Engineer with 28 years at GVEA. Later he did consulting work for Schmidt, Smith & Rush and P.D.C. Consulting Engineers. He also performed independent contract work as an electrical administrator through the State of Alaska.

Even before full retirement, Joe and Teresa spent years rolling rubber around Alaska during summers in their various recreational vehicles (everything from a 1962 camper to a lovely 30-foot fifth-wheel.) In December 2017, due primarily to health issues, he and Teresa left Fairbanks permanently and relocated to Boise, Idaho, to enjoy time with their first grandbaby. They later moved to Mount Vernon, Washington, where Joe spent the rest of his life. His final years were spent watching the "HAWKS" play football on television, reading books on science, history, natural disasters, and even UFO theories. He loved reading Robert Service and could recite "The Cremation of Sam McGee" word for word. Joe adored his little grandkids and seemed to have unlimited patience when the two older girls ran through the house like little tornados.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Maurice and Genevieve, and sister, Thea. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Teresa; daughter, Rosemary, and son-in-law, Daniel, and grandchildren Claire, Naomi and Myles; son, Brian; brother, Mick, and sister-in-law, MaryLou; and niece, Maura, and husband, Adam, and their children, Cooper, Adler and Parker. Joe also leaves behind many great childhood friends, dear friends who he attended Catholic mass with throughout his life, as well as former co-workers whose friendships he valued.

A Catholic funeral mass is being planned in Fairbanks for the summer of 2024 with burial of his remains at Birch Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers please consider having a Catholic mass recited on his behalf or make a donation to your local Hospice, as they were of considerable help and extremely compassionate during his final days.