Hubert JODWALIS

1923 - 2014  (91 years)

• Name	Hubert JODWALIS
  Birth	1923	Cook County, Illinois
  Gender	Male
  Death	23 May 2014	Alaska
  Burial	Northern Lights Memorial Cemetery, Fairbanks, Alaska
  Notes	From Find A Grave: Hubert "Jod" Jodwalis crossed the finish line of his last marathon on this earth on May 23, 2014, in Fairbanks. He was born Oct. 3, 1923, in Chicago, Ill, to John and Mary Jodwalis. His childhood was spent in Lithuania, the birth country of his parents. Throughout his life, Lithuania remained a place close to Jod's heart. In 1939, at age 16, he traveled across Europe to Italy and boarded the steamship "Manhattan" bound for New York harbor. This was the last commercial passenger ship to leave the Mediterranean before the onset of World War II. Upon his arrival, the American side of the family almost immediately put Jod on a train to northern Michigan where his father had enrolled him in the Civilian Conservation Corps. There he received a crash course in American culture and the English language. When America entered the war, Jod went to work in the Baltimore shipyards helping to construct Liberty ships. Because he worked in a vital wartime industry and had a deferment, he could have waited out the war safely at home. But Germany had invaded his beloved Lithuania and Jod promptly enlisted in the Army to fight the Nazis. The army had other ideas, however, and Jod instead found himself in an engineering battalion stationed on Adak, in Alaska's remote Aleutian Islands. As fate would have it, he would never leave Alaska. Following Japan's surrender, Jod was discharged but remained in the Aleutians working for the civil service for more than six years. He traveled the entire chain of islands working as a crane operator. In 1948, Jod transferred to Eielson Air Force Base, just south of Fairbanks, where he worked until his retirement more than 30 years later. In 1949, while visiting friends in Minnesota, Jod met and fell in love with Margaret Stende, a schoolteacher from Granite Falls. They married at Eielson soon afterward. Margaret and Jod lived on Eielson and in Fairbanks until Jod built a log home at 30 Mile Richardson Highway, where they lived until 1989. It was here in the highway community of Salcha that they raised their four children. Jod was dedicated to helping children and young people. He was inspirational as a scoutmaster and as a volunteer for the Salcha ski and running club. At school races he was always at the back of the pack as the official "trail sweep," giving encouragement and support to the slower participants. Jod loved the outdoors, especially hunting, fishing and canoeing. Later in life, he enjoyed ballroom dancing and became an avid long distance runner. He completed 13 Equinox Marathons after age 50. He was generous, compassionate and had an optimistic outlook on life. Jod lived life day-by-day, never dwelling on past hardships or misfortunes. He was a loving husband and father and a friend to everyone he met. Jod was preceded in death by his wife Margaret; brother, Edward, and sisters, Bertha Jodwalis and Lucille Ferranti. He is survived by his brother, John, and sister, Lorraine Vaicekauskas; sister, Danute Adomaviciene, and sister-in-law, Frida Jodwalis; son, John, and wife, Lisa; daughter, Elizabeth, and husband, Mark May; son, Thomas, and wife, Tracy Kennedy; daughter, Clara, and husband, Scott Deal; granddaughters, Sophia and Margaret May; grandsons, Augustus May and William Jodwalis; and step-grandchildren, Eric Deal, and Allison Deal; as well as numerous cousins and their children. A funeral Mass will be held 6pm Thurs, May 29, at St. Nicholas Catholic Church, in North Pole.
  Person ID	I22127	Don Carlson's Tree
  Last Modified	4 Sep 2022

  
  

  Family	Margaret Bernice STENDE,   b. 27 Oct 1920, Minnesota d. Dec 1992, Alaska (Age 72 years)
  Family ID	F15953	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	4 Sep 2022