Two weeks before her ninetieth birthday, Mrs. A. K. Viaux died in General Hospital Tuesday morning after a brief illness. Although she had been almost totally blind for eight years, Mrs. Viaux remained alert until her final illness.
Born February 28, 1867 in Horner, Denmark she came to this continent when she was 16. Besides Anna Katrina, there were four other members of the Lauridsen family who left Denmark, but only Mrs. Viaux came to Canada. As far as can be learned, there are no surviving brothers or sisters but there are ten nieces and nephews. One niece, Mrs, Carl Fritz of Seattle, visited her aunt frequently and was in Whitehorse last October.
When Mrs. Viaux first came to Whitehorse in 1904, the White Pass Hotel had not yet been built. Following the fire in 1905 when the Windsor Hotel burned down and the new White Pass was put up on the same corner, Mrs. Viaux became associated with the hotel. In those days, the White Pass was "the only hotel in Whitehorse with steam heat in every room," and ater she became proprietress Mrs. Viaux was proud of her modern facilities.
She looked after the beer parlour herself for many years, and was also proud of the fine old mahogany bar which was carved out of a single piece of wood.
For the last ten years a personal friend, Harold Nielsen, has
helped Mrs. Viaux to operate the hotel. It is understood he will now
be manager of the establishment.
The funeral will be held at 2 pm February 15 at the Presbyterian Church, no flowers by special request. In charge of arrangement is Gordon R. Wallden.
