Van Cleave Price 

Sept. 12, 1931-May 13, 2016

Longtime Homer resident Van Cleave Price died May 13, 2016, at South Peninsula Hospital. He was 84.

He was born in Barton, N. M., on Sept. 12, 1931, to Mack and June Price. He was the youngest of 11 children and grew up on the family farm plowing with both horse and tractor. He attended Albuquerque High School and in 1951 he joined the Navy and spent three years seeing the world. In 1951 he married Florence Miller; they had two daughters. He worked in Albuquerque as a machinist. In 1965, the family moved to Homer to work at Alaska Christian School. During that time they adopted two sons. The marriage lasted 22 years. 

Van worked for Modern Builders, Sunny Service, Homer Police Department, Texaco and Northern Enterprises. He retired in 1997. 

In 1983 Van married Jeannette Backstrand.

He never met a stranger and never met anyone he didn’t invite to join him at church.Throughout his time in Alaska he very active in Homer Christian Church. He was always generous with his things, time and talents.  

He enjoyed hunting, fishing, snowmachining, and four-wheeling. However, he  firmly believed that boats are not for sight-seeing, only fishing because “you can’t eat a sight.” Van especially relished sharing the stories that resulted from his adventures. On a day when the sun was shining and the  water was like glass Van came to rest in the Lord’s home port. 

Van was preceded in death by his siblings, his daughter Joy Hockley, and his  sons Stanley  and Adam Price.  He is survived by his wife Jeannette Price; daughter Gay (David) Fraker of Homer and son-in-law Rick Hockley of Rapid City S.D.; grandchildren Amy (Brad) Dunmire of Scottsbluff Neb.,  Angie Fraker of Anchorage, Chris (Lori) Fraker of Homer, Nathaniel (Courtney) Hockley of Rapid City and Matthew Hockley of Rapid City; great-grandchildren Peter,  Naomi, Ethan, Katie, Harmony, Annika and Emily; as well as many friends he made on  his life’s journey to whom he was “Uncle Van.” 

A memorial service will be held at Community Christian Church at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 21. Condolences may be sent to P.O. Box 2867, Homer, Alaska  99603.