Former Homer resident Velton Winn Cason, 89, died Nov. 30, 2009, in Ashley County, Ark. A funeral service was held Dec. 8, 2009, at First Baptist Church of Fountain Hill, Ark.

Born Nov. 24, 1920, to Luna Brown and Albert Gallatin "Jack" Cason of Fountain Hill, Ark., he attended local schools and then traveled west in response to an advertisement seeking workers for a San Diego aircraft factory.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, took training at Victorville, Calif., and flew 35 combat missions as a bombardier and navigator with the 486th Bomb Group in Sudbury, England, transferring to reserves as a first lieutenant near the end of World War II.

After the war, he earned a bachelor of science degree at the University of Arkansas on the GI Bill. He taught school in Arkansas and New Mexico before driving north to Alaska in 1957. He taught science at Homer High School for 20 years in addition to seasonal work in construction, fishing and firefighting with the Bureau of Land Management. He and spouse Jane Phillips also operated a clothing store, Mademoiselle, and a restaurant, Parfait Shoppe, for several years.

He returned to his Arkansas roots in 1980, where he remarried and put his construction skills to work again, completing a comfortable home. He enjoyed family visits, card games, gardening, taking wood from the surrounding forest for heating his home and otherwise looking after his grandparent's homestead. He had a special talent for making the most of everyday activities at his own pace.

He was preceded in death by two sisters and two brothers.

He is survived by his wife, Elsa; two sisters, Gladys Lampert and Leone Hendrickson of Monticello, Ark.; sons and daughters-in-law, Lynn (Bev), Jonathan (Marissa), and Sam (Jackie); nine grandchildren, all of Anchorage; and several nieces and nephews.

Information about fire, police and troopers is taken from public records consisting of logbooks and press releases.