Daily Sitka Sentinel

Gene Prewitt

On the morning of Dec. 24, 2014, Gene Prewitt passed away at Swedish Hospital, Seattle, Wash., from complications of long-term ailments.

Gene was visited and comforted by numerous family members in the days preceding his death. His loving wife of 34 years, Trudy Prewitt, was by his side at the time of his death. He was 80 years old.

Gene Prewitt was born May 13, 1934 in Walla Walla, Wash., the seventh of 10 children of Neta and William Prewitt.

Gene grew up in the Walla Walla Valley and from an early age his apparent entrepreneurial skills were being developed and honed. He loved the opportunity to work, and even as a small boy picked fruit and vegetables and assisted the local dairy farmer with daily milk deliveries. His mother often noted how Gene was the first child out the door to work in the morning and the last to come home in the evening.

Gene attended Upper Columbia Academy in Spangle, Wash., a Seventh-day Adventist boarding school. Coming from a family of very modest means, he and his siblings earned their tuition picking fruit in the summer and taking on extra work at the Academy. Gene spent many hours shoveling coal for the boilers on campus, one of the more labor-intensive jobs offered, but one that paid slightly higher wages. He graduated from high school in 1952.

Gene’s first adventure to Alaska took him to Ketchikan the summer of 1952. He accompanied his older brother and worked as a carpenter’s apprentice for his brother’s father-in-law. He returned to the Walla Walla Valley to pursue his degree and career as a funeral director and mortician. He worked as an apprentice at the Dewitt Funeral Home while attending college in College Place, Wash. 

Gene returned to Alaska in 1958 and chose Sitka as his home. His ambition and drive led him to work at numerous side professions while he built his mortuary and home on the corner of Halibut Point Road and Peterson Street. He often worked 16-18 hours per day, first as a carpenter at Alaska Lumber and Pulp Co. Before or after his shift at ALP, he would drive school bus, taxi cab or perform janitorial services for local merchants. As time progressed, he quit his job as a carpenter in favor of self-employment and purchased the Taxi Company, School Bus Company and Janitorial Service, all the while continuing to develop Sitka’s first funeral home. 

As Sitka grew, so did Gene’s businesses. More students meant additional school bus services. Tourism in Sitka was in its infancy when Sitka’s first cruise ship arrived in the late 1960’s. Gene possessed the only buses in town, which led him to host a drive around town. Gene’s outgoing personality and propensity to start singing were a successful introduction to those first tourists, and the cruise ship visits continue to this day, largely due to his collaboration with the Sitka Visitors Bureau and his one-on-one marketing to cruise lines including Princess Cruises, Holland America and numerous others. At the apex of Gene’s company, Sitka Tours, Sitka was entertaining upwards of 225 ships per summer. Gene spent his off season marketing tourism at trade shows across the country.

His partnership with the New Archangel Dancers was one of the highlights of his tour business. He introduced thousands of tourists to Alaska’s history as it pertained to Sitka and ended every dialogue with his singing of the “Alaska Flag Song,” which he estimated he sang more than 5,000 times during the course of his 40-plus years associated with Sitka tourism. His love of Sitka and its rich history dictated that he present his home to visitors in its best light and, as such, insisted that his staff be well-versed in history and factual information, and that they dressed the part.

Gene continued to nurture the balance of his enterprise, as a compassionate friend and a listener to numerous families who lost loved ones over the course of his 60 years as Sitka’s funeral director.

He operated and maintained Sitka’s school bus operation for almost 50 years, driving upwards of three generations of students to and from school. To this day, grandchildren of his first students continue to ride on his buses.

Gene had a gift of friendship and laughter. He loved being around people, telling a joke, sipping a simple cup of coffee with his buddies or eating a piece of world famous pie at the Nugget. He considered all who associated with him as friends. Over the course of his career as a business owner, he provided hundreds of Sitka residents with their first or supplemental job.  He loved his church family and helped build and support the Sitka Seventh-day Adventist Church. He was a member of many clubs in Sitka and volunteered regularly in the community.

Gene loved Scottsdale, Ariz., as much as he loved his home in Sitka, to be in the sun and near the golf he enjoyed so much. The idea came for an ultimate snowbird event, the Sitka Shoot-Out – one of the true gifts to his Sitka friends who by March were sun-starved. Anyone who had anything to do with Sitka was invited to come to Scottsdale for four glorious days of sun and golf. The event went on for 11 years. 

Gene influenced many lives, a kind and caring man, a giver who never asked for anything in return.  He loved Jesus and sang out for all to hear to proclaim that love.

“A part of our hearts has been torn from our souls by his passing. But he was ready,” his family said. “One of his last requests to Trudy in jest was to hand him the phone as he wanted to call Heaven and tell them he was ready.”

Gene Prewitt was preceded in death by his parents and all but two of his siblings. He was also preceded in death by his great-grandson, Lucas Leamon.

Gene is survived by his wife, Trudy Prewitt; his brother, Vern Prewitt, Mesa, Aria.; and sister, Neva Phelps, Richland, Wash.

He also is survived by his  10 children;  Ronald Prewitt, Spokane Valley, Wash.; Randy Prewitt, Fresno, Calif.; Linda Williams, Sitka; Rhonda McElroy, Everett, Wash.; Russell Prewitt, La Center, Wash.; Christina Johnston, Squim, Wash.; Robert Robles, Salt Lake City, Utah; Rebecca Lloyd, New Harmony, Utah; Andrew Robles, Buckeye, Ariz.; and Matthew Robles, Scottsdale, Aria.

Gene also is survived by 22 grandchildren including Stephen Prewitt, Jared Prewitt, Allison Prewitt, Elizabeth Leamon, Micah Prewitt, Merry Gramajo, Timothy Prewitt, Stuart Prewitt, Eric Swarts, Justin McElroy, Kyle Prewitt, Christopher Robles, Mikayli Manes, Brenton Manes, Jillian Johnston, Elias Robles, Emily Robles, Elgin Robles, Emmitt Robles, Anna Lloyd, China Shorey, Mackenzie Robles and Brionna Robles. In addition, Gene is survived by nine great-grandchildren.

Gene’s funeral service was held in Bellevue, Wash., on Saturday, Dec. 27 at the Bellevue Seventh-day Adventist Church. His interment and graveside service were held at the Paradise Memorial Gardens in Scottsdale, on Tuesday, Dec. 29. 

The family would like to publically thank  everyone for the overwhelming love and support shown at this difficult time.

Sitkans Invited

Sitka friends of Gene Prewitt . . . will remember back in May we had a grand “celebration of life” on Gene’s 80th birthday. What a wonderful opportunity for folks to express their friendship, admiration, and gratefulness to Gene. He went home with an extremely warm, full heart! To those of you who were there, and participated, many thanks! It couldn’t have been more perfect for Gene to be there! 

At this time for Sitka family and friends we would like to invite all to join us for a simple potluck picnic gathering at his favorite spot, Halibut Point Recreation area, Saturday, Feb. 7, at 1 p.m. Braving the weather, a pleasant, happy joining of Gene’s friends. Hope to see you there!

–Gene’s Family