Nancy Jean Opheim passed away peacefully at Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage on April 4th. Nancy was born in Chignik Alaska on January 14, 1944, to George and Helen Osbekoff. Nancy lived in Chignik growing up and was fostered by George and Florence Anderson. Nancy remembered riding in the bow of a Bidarka and lived in a Barabara when her stepdad would go trapping in the fall. Nancy met her husband Norman Opheim when they were both working at a cannery in Ouzinkie in 1963. Norman and Nancy married on December 13, 1964. Nancy and Norman had a daughter, Marcia Opheim (Patrick), and a son, Michael Opheim, while building their home in Pleasant Harbor just down from Ouzinkie on Spruce Island. In 1974 the family moved to Seldovia, AK where there were plenty of job opportunities and a new school for the children to attend. Nancy worked at many jobs over the years to help support her family. Nancy worked at the canneries, the stores, did cleaning, sold Avon and Tupperware. She loved fishing and often would spend hours at the outside beach catching fish for supper. One of Nancy’s favorite things was the human powered rowing derby. Her and Michael entered it many times over the years using borrowed row boats before Norman built her one of her very own.They never won but she enjoyed the fishing. She enjoyed going out on local charters and catching the largest halibut. She loved her friends, many of which were the same friends she made when her family first moved to Seldovia. Marcia had 4 children with her first husband Jimmie Payton. Nancy gained her new name as Granny from that time forward. Granny loved her grandchildren and would spend as much time with them as she could. Granny would pick up her two oldest grandsons and go “bear hunting”, She would go cruising with her granddaughter and you could hear them coming with the music cranked up, Granny would pick up her youngest grandson and they would go cruise for hubba hubba’s. Granny loved to travel and would tag along on many of Michael’s business trips. She loved playing cards with her friends over the years. She loved turtles and had collected hundreds of them. If you ever stopped by and visited Granny you would see the cabinets full of turtles and turtles placed wherever there was free space for them. She also enjoyed giving gifts. If she found out you liked something she would often get it for you as a gift. It brought her great joy to give joy to others. Her greatest joys though were her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Nancy is preceded in death by her biological and foster parents, her brother Joseph Osbekoff, her sister Helen Gates, stepbrother Charles Oliver, and stepbrother Bill Oliver. She is survived by her husband Norman Opheim, daughter Marcia Patrick, son Michael Opheim, grandson William Giant ofJuneau, grandson Jimmie Payton of Anchorage, granddaughter Rachel Giles of Seldovia, and grandson Stephen Payton of Seldovia. She is survived by 10 great grandchildren ranging in age of 10 years to 3 months old. Nancy also is survived by her sister Tina Cotey, brother Jack Osbekoff, David Osbekoff, half-brother Daniel Oliver, and many cousins, nephews, and nieces.

A celebration of life will be planned for July. Granny did not want a funeral service because she said that it didn’t sound any fun to have a room full of people crying so we will have a potluck which Nancy loved for the many different foods and the visiting and spending happy times together.