FAIRBANKS -- Two cross-shaped floral arrangements -- one multicolored, labeled "Brother," and the other awash with pink lilies tagged "Sister" -- stood out amid a bounty of bouquets in front of an improvised altar at the Chief David Salmon Tribal Hall here.
The dual funeral Monday afternoon was for siblings Ellen Florence Juneby Rada, 58, and her brother, Isaac Juneby, 71.
Rada died Sunday in Anchorage from injuries suffered in an assault June 28 at a Fairbanks homeless camp. Isaac died July 1 in a car accident in Anchorage, where he had traveled to hold vigil by his sister's bedside.
Relatives and friends, Native and non-Native, 500 or more, filled the large log building on the south bank of the Chena River to pay their respects, console Juneby family members and participate in a service led by four Episcopal priests.
Gazing over the gathering, Steve Ginnis of Fort Yukon said, "As Indian people we come together in times like this, and we all help each other out. We come together and we all share the pain."
Six Alaska Native Veterans Association members carried in the handmade coffin containing the body of fellow military veteran Isaac Juneby before solemnly draping it with a large U.S. flag.
For an hour before the service, a line of mourners filed past the family, seated closest to the altar, sharing hugs and condolences, then moving on to gaze at two photo boards -- one for Ellen and one for Isaac.
Skye Juneby read her father Isaac's obituary from the podium, followed by Ellen's two sons, James Fraser III, supported by his brother, Arthur Rada.
At midservice, Rev. Scott Fisher paused the service for a short time to allow comments from those wishing to speak.
Isaac was remembered by all for his friendly, gregarious nature, with the nickname of "the Senator."
Niece Sophia Stevens recalled a visit with him in Anchorage.
"It was a nonstop party with Uncle Isaac around," she said.
After a long, busy day, she said, Isaac fell asleep on the floor, and she and a co-conspirator built a tent around him as he lay sleeping and she painted his fingernails.
He awoke in the middle of the night yelling, "I'm bleeding," she laughed.
Isaac's serious side was evident in his achievements: earning a bachelor's degree in rural development from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in the 1980s, writing books and recording language lessons in the Han Athabascan language.
He held a number of jobs in Alaska, Canada and elsewhere, and for a number of years served as chief of Eagle Village, his hometown at the time of his death.
He and his wife, Sandi, planned to move to Fairbanks this fall so he could complete a master's degree in ethnology.
"Isaac knew his culture," Ginnis said. "He was well grounded in his culture. He came from the land and understood how it connects to culture and the environment. He knew that and he shared that with others and tried to educate them."
Ginnis, like others, noted Ellen's loving heart.
"She had a wonderful heart; she was always willing to help."
Ellen's exceptional skill as a bead artist and fur sewer also was noted.
Niece Jody Potts said her aunt, who she called her "second mother," was always there for the children when she was growing up in Eagle Village.
"It's broken all of our hearts to see what has happened. We have so many wonderful memories. She did things with us when our parents didn't have time for us," she said.
Potts considered Uncle Isaac the patriarch of the Juneby family and the Gwich'in people, and said she cherished the two days she spent with him at the hospital just before his death, and the long talks they had about culture and traditions.
"Those are probably the two most important days of my life," she said.
By MARY BETH SMETZER
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner