Obituary:: Roxane Lillian Swenson Lee, 95

In June of 1947, after graduating from Stillwater High School in Minnesota, Roxane Lillian Swenson boarded a westbound train in Saint Paul with the ultimate destination of Petersburg, Alaska. Her aunt, Lillian L. Swanson had surprised Roxy with a graduation present of two suitcases and a ticket to Alaska. She arrived in Petersburg on the SS Alaska and that was the start of a glorious lifelong adventure. Roxy worked summers in her aunt's store, The Lillian Shop, and studied in the winters at the University Minnesota to receive her degree in retailing.

She was born on October 20, 1929 to William and Myrna Swenson in Stillwater. It may have been her four sisters who sharpened her social skills, but it was her mother Myrna who gave Roxy that powerful interest in people that led her to connect with so many friends, colleagues and customers, as well as just about everyone who crossed her path. In the summer of 1952 she met a young Petersburg fisherman, Harold Lee, on a hike to Harvey's Lake and she married him in Bayport, Minnesota on January 18, 1953. They made their home in Petersburg and raised three children on Second Street, where there were so many young families they called it Squirrel Hill. While the kids were growing up, Roxy volunteered with the Scout Troops, Alaska Music Trails, the Lutheran Church and the Little Norway Committee. Roxy was proud of her Swedish American heritage, but also the recipient of the Norwegian American award for her community contributions.

When the kids got old enough, her college education, her practical experience at the Lillian Shop and her work with men's clothing salesman Leonard Hopkins led her to open her own store on Main Street in 1969, Lee's Clothing. Those were the days when a woman could not get a loan without her husband's signature, and the family pitched in, staining the shelves of the store, pricing the merchandise and hauling the freight. This experience may have sparked her interest in the rights of women. Her work on the Alaska Women's Commission from 1978 to 1983 was very satisfying, helping women assure their rights in the work place and at home.

Roxy led a long and active life in our community. She pitched in regularly with the Business and Professional Women, the Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, the Pioneers of Alaska and the Petersburg Lutheran Church. Her performances with the Mitkof Mummers were memorable, and she played the aufushay with flair in that popular local band, the Doyhof Cavaliers. The Cavaliers, all her very good friends, made "I Like Humpback Salmon" our local anthem. Roxy was an avid reader and a founding member of the Soup and Books Book Club.

She had many friends in Kake, and welcomed members of that community when they came into town for shopping and other services. She was adopted into the Raven moiety of Taakdeintaan Clan, and received the name Heekly in recognition of her kindness and generosity. This was a great honor for her.

Lee's Clothing, with its astute owner, has flourished through the decades. The fishing population has been kept warm and dry, and the Norwegian sweater has become formal Petersburg attire, much of it straight from the racks of the Lee's collection. Roxy retired from active management in 1998, leaving her daughters in charge, but always ready with practical advice. She celebrated fifty five years of Lee's Clothing in September of 2024 as well as her 95th birthday in October. She was a positive force for women in leadership roles in our community. Roxy was instrumental in building the coastal bike path along the Wrangell Narrows and was always ready with helpful suggestions for town improvement. Her warm personality, her generosity, and her very quick sense of humor made her a beloved figure in Petersburg. She passed away December 12, 2024 at Mountain View Manor Assisted Living in Petersburg. She loved her time there with the residents and her caregivers.

She leaves among us her daughters Cynthia Mathisen (Sigurd Mathisen), Heidi Lee (Joe Viechnicki), and her son David Lee (Bonnie Lee), as well as her grandson Allan Mathisen (Ellen Scully) and granddaughter Maya Lee Holmes (Patrick Miller). She also leaves two sisters, Stephanie Wedekind and Kim Driggs, as well as many wonderful nieces and nephews, a host of friends and beautiful memories of life in Petersburg. Memorial donations may be sent to Kinderskog, Good Beginnings Preschool, Petersburg Medical Center, Petersburg Lutheran Church or Petersburg Public Library.