Marleene E. Johnson “BunningAthuraq”
Marleene Elizabeth Johnson was the firstborn child of Vernon and Patricia Auliye, born on April 25, 1955 in Unalakleet. She passed away peacefully on March 25, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. She had told her sisters that she is not scared and was ready to go home.
Marleene Johnson was one of the first trained Health Aides in our village and region, her intelligence and intuitive mind allowed her to diagnose her baby’s condition, which ultimately saved his life.
She was gifted in her ability to grow anything and was able to grow things like cherry tomatoes, broccoli and cauliflower. She even grew a lemon tree, which bore fruit. Marleene also was a gifted baker, great cook and prepared delicious subsistence foods. She canned meat, fish, jams and even canned sourdock. She was good at anything she tried, whether it was making quilts, fur hats, socks or gloves. She commercial fished alongside her husband Aucha in the Norton Sound area and on the Yukon River until his passing in 1997. She spent the remaining years of her life with her companion Myles Soosuk.
Marleene was preceded in death by her husband Franklyn “Aucha” Johnson, grandparents John and Hazel Kotongan, John and Gertie Auliye, parents Vernon Sr. and Patricia, brother Glenn, sister Cheryl, and grandchildren Christina, Dwayne Jr. and Phillip. She is survived by her sons Dwayne, Frank Ryan and Aucha Glenn; her grandchildren Tori, Cloei, Alexa, Ryan, Franklyn, Noah, Deeyn and Sadie; great grandchildren Alayna Amaktoolik and Emmitt Ivanoff; and siblings Debbie, Verna, Diane, Genevieve, Vernon Jr., Kurt, and companion Myles Soosuk.
