Sad news arrived Tuesday afternoon as the Alaska Zoo announced that Grubby, Homer’s beloved renegade opossum, passed away “peacefully” last weekend.

The Virginia opossum arrived in Homer in the spring of 2023 after stowing away on a shipping container traveling from Washington state to Spenard Builders Supply. She was finally apprehended by the Homer Police Department in May 2023 and delivered to the Alaska Zoo, where she lived the remainder of her days as a permanent resident and part of an exhibit on invasive species in Alaska.

Virginia opossums are the only marsupial that lives in North America, but they are not native to Alaska, and considered an invasive species in the state.

Grubby also sparked a wide social media following with her arrival in Alaska, and her popularity rose further when Homer residents discovered several joeys, or young opossums, still living around town. Grubby’s joeys were also eventually captured by biologists and rehomed to other zoos.

“Grubby’s story captured the hearts of many and the zoo’s willingness to take Grubby and her joeys saved their lives,” the release says.

The Alaska Zoo said goodbye to Grubby, who they renamed “Ophelia,” on Saturday, Oct. 11. A press release published Tuesday said that she passed away due to complications from old age.

Grubby was an adult opossum when she arrived in Homer, estimated to be one year old in 2023. She was approximately 3.5 years old at the time of her death. The average life span for opossums in the wild is 1-2 years, the release states.

Sam Lavin, Alaska Zoo curator, said in the release that the zoo is “fortunate” to be able to say farewell to their animal friends “with respect and dignity.”

“We all loved Ophelia (Grubby) and took great pride in the progress she made — transforming from a rogue little pirate into someone who would beg for treats from her favorite keeper,” he said. “She lived a long opossum life in our care, and her absence will be deeply felt.”