Ida May Sitnasuak Degnan
May 29, 1939 -
Mar 23, 2021
Ida May Sitnasuak Degnan was born in Nome, Alaska, to Frank Auvnue and Ada Quyan Degnan on May 29, 1935. She left this world on March 23, 2021, at her home in Anchorage, Alaska.
At birth, Ida joined her sister Eva and brother Jerry, plus grandmas Apok and Igailaq. The family moved by skin boat to Pungookutuk near Moses Point, as her father had built a cabin there.
In 1937, the family moved back to settle at the family home in Unalakleet. After completing eighth grade, Ida enrolled at Mt. Edgecumbe Vocational School, graduating in 1953. Ida was class valedictorian and Miss Edgecumbe Founders' Day Queen.
She was one of the first employees of the newly established Alaska Native Service Hospital in Anchorage. Marriage to James Bird took them to his home in Livonia, Mich. Their son James C. Bird Jr. was born in October 1956.
Ida was hired at Ford Motor Company in the clerical pod and steadily advanced to administrative support and to management. She retired as a program analyst in 1987 after 30 years with Ford.
Whether living in Alaska or elsewhere, Alaska was always her home. She planned her vacation each year to return home to Unalakleet to be with family. It was important to her for her son to know his grandparents and heritage.
Ida remarried in 1969, and she and husband Bill Harden enjoyed entertaining family and friends at their home in Northville, Mich. When Bill retired they moved to Tampa, Fla. They loved fishing in the Gulf and summers returning to fish and pick berries at Unalakleet. Ida and Bill spent their retirement years in Anchorage from 1990, to be near family in Fairbanks, Unalakleet and Anchorage.
Ida was a good cook and an excellent hostess. She enjoyed gardening, sewing, knitting, fishing and picking berries. She was a loving mom and grandma. She loved people and maintained lifelong friendships.
Ida is survived by her son, James Bird and wife Janie; stepdaughter, Nancy Ramsey; grandchildren, Eve Taylor, Amber Bird, Tara Bird, Robert Bird, Christopher Vondrak and Zachary Vondrak; great-grandchildren, Sean Taylor, Aiden Taylor; sisters, Eva D. Merrifield and Frances Ann Degnan; brother, Chuck Degnan and wife Virginia; and many nieces and nephews.
She is predeceased by husband, Bill Harden; parents, Frank and Ada Degnan; brothers, Gerald Degnan and Maurice Degnan; sisters, Marjorie Miller, Shirley Degnan, June I. Degnan and Kathleen Downs; and stepdaughter, Tracy Day.
Rest in peace, dear Ida. You loved well and are well-loved. There will be no public service. Memorial donations can be made in Ida's memory to Providence Hospice of Anchorage, https://alaska.providence.org/services/h/hospice.
