Longtime Alaskan Jeannette Biesemeyer, 85, died Jan. 7, 2008, at Providence Alaska Medical Center. A memorial service was held at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Rock Church of Anchorage, 8225 Spring St., in the Finlandia Hall. Born Nov. 17, 1922, in Glendale, California, to Paul A. and Frances D. Black, Jeannette graduated in Anaheim, California, and was attending Fullerton College when Pearl Harbor was bombed. She was employed by Ogden Arsenal and Lockheed Aircraft until her marriage in 1944. At the age of 21, Jeannette began her Alaska adventure by traveling by bus to Seattle, steamship to Seward and train to Anchorage, where she became secretary to the PX officer on Fort Richardson. Before the birth of her first child, she purchased a little house downtown. When she washed the floors, sheets of ice formed and she had to wear boots indoors. A California girl at heart, Jeannette wrote many letters to the "Lower 48" through her tears, relating the beauty of Alaska to her family. Her parents, who ventured north to see their grandchild, stayed for more than twenty-five years. Many other family members followed. Jeannette was a homemaker throughout all the years she was raising her children. In addition to Anchorage, Jeannette lived in Washington, D.C., and at various remote sites in Alaska, where her husband, Fred, was stationed with the FAA, including Ralston Island, Summit, Sunset Cove near Juneau, and Woody Island near Kodiak. A believer in Jesus Christ, Jeannette was caring, generous and quick to make a friend. She was a major influence in many lives and will be deeply missed. Jeannette was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, Fred Biesemeyer; her brother, Robert D. Black; and a son-in-law. She is survived by five children and their spouses; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; sister, Eleanor Black; sister-in-law, Ruth Black; and many beloved nieces, nephews and cousins.