Victoria Wilson

Oct. 15, 1945-July 10, 2016

Victoria Wilson, 71, longtime resident of Homer and Anchor Point, died quietly in her sleep at home on July 10, 2016.

Victoria was born Oct. 15, 1945, in San Pedro, Calif., to Abraham Churchin and Aurora Pagliucoli.

She spent her much of her childhood in Anchorage and vicinity. When she was in her late teens she was introduced to the Baha’i Faith. She fell in love with the Faith and spent her life being guided by the Baha’i principles and teachings.

In her early 20s she found herself drawn to the Kenai Peninsula. In the late 1960s she and her two young children moved to Homer but did not remain long. Over the next decade she lived in various communities as she followed the job market: Kodiak, Mat Valley, Anchorage, Fairbanks and Homer. She eventually purchased a small piece of property off of North Fork Road outside Anchor Point that she could call home.

Victoria had a wide variety of occupations over the course of her life: driving truck on the Haul Road during the construction of the pipeline, cannery work in Kodiak, delivering motor homes throughout the United States, sewing for NOMAR when they were first starting up, etc. But the job she is best known for was her time at the Department of Motor Vehicle in Homer where she was affectionately known as the “DMV Lady.” One aspect of this job was making sure a generation of young adults were qualified to drive before issuing them their first driver’s license. It was during her time at the DMV that she sold her place on the North Fork and moved closer to town.

When she retired from the DMV she decided to leave Alaska and explore other places. She eventually settled in Scottsdale, Ariz. It was during this time that she traveled to India where she spent three months of service at the Lotus Temple (Baha’i House of Worship) in New Delhi. During her time there she met people from all over the globe. In fact, a 2001 CNN report referred to it as the most visited building in the world.

Victoria had a beautiful singing voice and she loved to share this gift with others. At many gatherings she would be found leading others in songs. But the highlight of her singing was an invitation in 1992 to sing at the Second Baha’i World Congress held in New York at Carnegie Hall.

In 2010 she moved back to Homer where she met her soul mate, Bruce. They were married on Dec. 12, 2012.

Victoria is survived by her husband Bruce; her daughter Heather; her son Dennis and numerous grandchildren.

Victoria will be greatly missed by friends and family.