Susa Mari Kirkwood , June 18, 1947 — July 05, 2018

Susan Marie Kirkwood, 71, of Eureka, Alaska, passed away on July 5, 2018, at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska. She was born June 18, 1947, in Viola, Minn. , to the late Dean and Della (Gustine) Bear.

The family relocated to Johnstown, N.Y., in 1958. She was a 1965 graduate of Johnstown Senior High School and went on to earn her RN at Arnot Ogden School of Nursing in Elmyra, N.Y., followed by her Bachelor of Science at Chapman University. Her nursing career took her to the University of West Virginia in Morgantown, W.Va.

, Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, and in 1975, on to Providence Hospital in Anchorage. Her focus was in the ER and also in flying medevac with Jet Alaska. In the early 1980s, she was recruited to Los Angeles, Calif.

, to manage the ER at Children’s Hospital of L.A. While she enjoyed the friends she made and the 3 years there, she couldn’t wait to get back home to Alaska and return to nursing at Providence. In 1985, she met the love of her life, Larry Kirkwood, an airline pilot for ERA Aviation and they were married in 1987. Their love for the outdoors took them to Eureka for retirement.

There, she enjoyed moose hunting, snowmobiling, 4-wheeling and watching NASCAR. It wasn’t long before they got the gold mine bug and staked a claim. Of the mining she once said, “I’m glad I’m retired, this is too much fun to call it work!

” Additionally, she always looked forward to the annual visits to Seattle, Wash. , to take in a Seahawks or Washington Huskies football game with her brother and family. She is survived by her husband, Larry Kirkwood of Eureka; brother, Kevin Bear of Redmond, Wash.

; nieces, Brittany Grosbusch of Shoreline, Wash. , and Alicia Bear of Billings, Mont. ; nephew, Cameron Bear of Billings; cousins in Minnesota and California; and the family pets: two dogs, Scooter and Spike and Tom, the cat.

She was preceded by her parents; and brother, Jerry Bear. A celebration of life will be held on Aug. 11, 2018, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., at Cremation Society of Alaska.

In lieu of flowers, donations to your local humane society to honor Sue’s love for animals would be appreciated.

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