Primary Name: Daisy Viola McGrew-Lave-Fagerson Williams
Filed as: Williams, Daisy Viola
Born: 1898 – Jefferson, Iowa
Died: California (shortly before her 98th birthday)
Associated places: Jefferson, Iowa; Woodburn, Oregon; Silverton, Oregon; Juneau, Alaska; Scotts Valley, California
Occupation / Association: Dress shop owner; Territorial Government employee, Department of Revenue
Affiliation: President, Juneau Women's Igloo (1947); Pioneers of Alaska, spousal member
Keywords: Juneau Women's Igloo, Alaska territorial government employees, Lena Cove, Juneau, Princess Norah passengers, Alaska pioneer families
Biography
Daisy Viola McGrew-Lave-Fagerson Williams joined the Pioneers of Alaska as a spousal member and became President of the Juneau Women's Igloo in 1947.
She was born in 1898 to William and Lexa McGrew in Jefferson, Iowa. She was the third child and second daughter in a family that would eventually include six children.
The family later moved to North Dakota to homestead. William McGrew, a steelworker by trade, eventually moved the family west to Oregon, where he worked on steel bridges and other construction projects. They first settled in St. Johns near Portland and later moved to Woodburn, which became their permanent home.
Daisy married O. E. “Buck” Lave in her early twenties. The couple lived in Silverton, Oregon. In 1931, their daughter, Mary Lou, was born.
After her husband's death in the late 1930s, Daisy returned to Woodburn and operated a dress shop.
In 1940, she met W. Floyd Fagerson through mutual friends. Floyd was known locally as “that man from Alaska” while visiting Oregon before returning north. They married in March 1941 and traveled to Juneau aboard the Princess Norah. Daisy made her home on Twelfth Street and enjoyed time at their cabin at Lena Cove, becoming active in the Juneau community.
In 1951, Floyd died while they were traveling in California. Daisy returned to Juneau and worked for the Territorial Government in the Department of Revenue.
In 1954, she married long-time friend Dr. Richard Williams.
After retirement, they moved to Scotts Valley, California, near Santa Cruz, where Daisy pursued painting. Richard died in 1984. Daisy died in California a few months before her 98th birthday.
Sources
- Pioneers of Alaska membership records
- Local historical accounts of Juneau Women's Igloo