A Love Story For the New Year

by Gigi Pilcher

As Kanoe's roving reporter, Gigi Pilcher, roamed the Plaza Port West Mall on Sunday asking Ketchikan residents how they celebrated New Year's Eve and inquiring about New Year's resolutions, Dean Barry shared his love story and plans for the new year.

Ketchikan resident Dean Barry said he will be leaving Alaska after thirty years to move to Arkansas to be reunited with his first love. Barry, a three year employee at the Plaza Port West Mall, said that while visiting his mother this past September, they attended a local fair . His mother happened to point out to Dean his first and long lost love, the beautiful Catherine, who he last saw in 1959. He walked over to Catherine and she gave him a big hug. They had once again found each other after 40 years. Dean reported that he was around 18 or 19 when he went into the Armed Forces and Catherine was around 15 years old. He wrote to her but her mother kept his letters from her. They lost all contact with each other after that. As the years went by, Dean moved to Alaska, working on the Pipeline and then other jobs around the State. After meeting up by chance with Catherine again in September, they continued to stay in contact through letters and phone calls after his return to Ketchikan. Dean said he recently proposed marriage to Catherine and she accepted. He will leave Ketchikan in about two weeks and travel down to Arkansas to marry his first love after 40 years of separation.