In Memoriam: Argile “Beeler” E. Pettit
Argile “Beeler” Eugene Pettit, long-time Alaska miner, died Dec. 11 at age 82. He was the son of Woodrow “Puggy” Pettit and Margaret “Bett” Householder Pettit, was born April 4, 1940. Argile attended Lone Rock School and in 1957, Argile survived a gas explosion at a local skating rink, suffering a fractured skull and other injuries. After graduation, Argile worked on road construction. He later enlisted in the United States Air Force in May of 1959. He was able to travel to many countries. Argile was honorably discharged in October 1962. Argile worked on road construction again and then in 1975 he chose to enlist in the Army because he wanted to get signal training. Argile was stationed in Alaska all two years. He was honorably discharged from Fort Richardson, Alaska in 1977 and chose to make Alaska his home. In Alaska, Argile worked on road construction once again. In 1989, he took time off and worked on the Exxon Valdez oil spill, then went back to road work again. He enjoyed fishing and hunting, and loved prospecting in the mountains. He did not want to be known as a miner. When the snow was still up in the mountains, he would park
his pickup at Scott’s and walk the rest of the way and little by little as the snow melted, he could drive further up the mountain, so he didn’t have to walk so far to get to his claims.
He was getting slower going up to the mines and so he said, “I was
Knighted?” When asked “What was your title?” he said, “Sure rest a lot.” Argile is survived by two brothers and two sisters: Bernard “Butch” Pettit and his wife Margie of Buckeye, AZ, Gail “Susie” Person and her husband John of Lone Rock, IA, Peggy Preston of Fenton, IA, and Richard “Roscoe” or “Amos” Pettit of Lone Rock, IA, and many nieces and nephews. Beeler loved Alaska and he had always said, “When I die, I want to be cremated and then spread my ashes in Alaska and that way I will be up here the next 500 years.”
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www.alaskaminers.org I The Alaska Miner I September 2023
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