Obit: Hawthorne, Pamela (1944 - 2003)

Transcriber: Robert Lipprandt
bob@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Denny, Hawthorne, Hibpshman, Novak

----Source: The Star News (Medford, WI) 6/27/2003

Hawthorne, Pamela (26 JUL 1944 - 25 JUN 2003)

Pamela and James Hawthorne of Lake Worth, Fla. died Wednesday, June 25, 2003, in an Alaskan plane crash.

She owned a cabin on South Harper Lake and they spent time here each summer.

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----Source: Homer News (Homer, AK) 7/10/2003

A woman's body found floating last week in Cook Inlet was identified Tuesday as that of Pamela Hawthorne, 58, of Lake Worth, Florida. Hawthorne was a passenger in a small plane missing since June 25.

Following the initial autopsy, the state medical examiner established the cause of death as drowning.

Workers on the F/V Corrina Kay were doing survey work for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game last Thursday when they found the body tangled in their gear.

"They thought they had a bit of cloth, maybe a life jacket, but when they got it close they saw that it was a body," said Alaska State Trooper Sgt. Jim Hibpshman. "The seas were a little rough, but they got it on board."

Hibpshman met the boat at the dock and took possession of the body.

The missing plane, a single engine Cessna, was reported overdue to the Homer Airport a few hours after it left Hallo Bay, about 115 miles southwest of Homer, on June 25. There were three people on board.

Still missing are Hawthorne's husband James, 61, and pilot Bert Novak, 62, of Palmer. When the plane was reported overdue, the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center, an arm of the Alaska National Guard, mounted a search with assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Alaska State Troopers and the Civil Air Patrol. By the middle of last week, searchers had flown more than 300 hours, Hibpshman said. The search was suspended last week.

Novak was a member of the Iditarod Air Force, a team of volunteer pilots who support the dog teams and mushers by hauling people, supplies and freight during the race. Novak's friends and family and other Iditarod Air Force pilots also have been involved in the search, and continue looking for the plane and its passengers.

Hibpshman said Hawthorne's body appeared to have been in the water for some time.

"This should answer some questions, both for the family and for the investigation," Hibpshman said.

Neither the transponder nor the locator beacon on the aircraft was triggered, and no sign of the plane has been found, said Alaska National Guard Public Affairs Officer Ken Denny.
Hibpshman said that it was unlikely that a search of the waters near where the body was found would turn up the wreckage or other bodies, as the currents in the area are strong and constantly changing.

Chris Bernard can be reached at cbernard@homernews.com. 

Note: Birth information was extracted from public records.