- Date Of Birth: March 6, 1931
- Date Of Death: January 2, 2021
- Spouse: Steve Black
- Resting Place: Mount Redoubt
- City: Dearborn
- State: Michigan
Neva Black of Nikiski, Alaska, died on Jan. 2, 2021. Neva was born Nevart Hagopian in Dearborn, Mich., on March 6, 1931. Neva was preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Betty “Yexopert” (Tom) Gilley, Rose “Aznev” (Homer) Minasian, Alice “Araxi” Harabedian; and brother, Haig (Shirley) Hagopian. In addition to her genetic family, Neva was preceded in death by her extended Alaskan brothers and sisters, Lester and Esther Borgen, Sylvia and Audrey Johnson, Bill “My Prerogative” Brower. Neva is survived by her daughter, Mya (Aaron) Renken; sons, Steve (Carolyn) Black and Don Black; granddaughters, Josette, Kylee, and Linnea Renken; grandson, Stephen Black; cousins, nieces, nephews, and more of her extended Alaska family.
Neva learned to make many of her ethnic Armenian foods from her mother. She would later become known for her cooking as a volunteer in the communities of North Kenai/Nikiski, Kenai, and Soldotna, as well as a family and friend gatherings. Being the last of her siblings to marry, “Aunt Neva” made the time to create and do activities with her numerous nieces and nephews. She was the aunt who was there for them in their early years. Her nieces and nephews are so close they refer to one another as “my other brothers and sisters.” In the middle of all these brothers and sisters was their Aunt Neva.
Neva worked at Ford Motor Company’s World Headquarters and was active on its softball team. After their games, Neva and one of her teammates would often visit a local bar owned by her teammate’s father. The two would sit on the two stools at the end, where the father could keep an eye on them. One evening in 1964, they went to the bar after their game, to discover a man seated on Neva’s barstool. Three months later, she married Steve Black of Everett, Wash. In 1967, Steve and Neva loaded their van with a trailer dragging behind it, with their three children and personal belongings and headed North to Alaska via the Alcan Highway. They arrived in Anchorage and stayed at the Wood’s Motel for a month or so until the road to Kenai could be cleared of snow.
Once the road was clear, they continued their journey to begin their new life in North Kenai. Neva was active in the schools. She knew all of the staff and students, and all of the staff and students knew her, as she was one of a handful of volunteers who always helped with class registration and other school activities. She told a friend once “I feel so much pride when I walk into the school (Kenai Junior High), not because they know who I am, but because they know who I am because of my kids.”
Living in a community with a lot of lakes, families working in the fishing industry on drift boats or set-net skiffs, and fathers working on the oil platforms in the Cook Inlet, Neva grew concerned there were no opportunities for children to learn how to swim. She started talking with her Redoubt Homemakers club, the Nikiski Fire Department, and her many friends and neighbors to start what was to become the Nikiski Pool and eventually the North Peninsula Recreation Area. Among Neva’s proudest moments was her marriage to Steve Black, the births of her children, the births of her grandchildren, the opening of the Nikiski Pool, and accepting the “Great American Family Award” from Nancy Reagan in June 1983. Neva’s happiest moments were the times with her extended Alaska family, developing the close bonds one shares with others on the Last Frontier, all who endure the same struggles, while also celebrating one another’s successes and lives together.
The Alaska Armenian community also became near and dear to her heart in the last 20 years. Armenian was her first language and is what was spoken in her home as a child. Neva did not learn English until she started school. Being able to connect to local Armenians also allowed her to more strongly connect to her past and her heritage. Her love extends to her Armenian brothers and sisters in a way that only other Armenians can fully appreciate.
Neva and her husband Steve both wished to have their ashes spread over Mt. Redoubt. Neva’s greatest joys came from babies and children. If she heard of a new baby among her friends, family, and strangers in need, Neva loved shopping for the little ones. She loved shopping, but shopping for little ones gave her the greatest joy of all of her shopping moments. Steve and Neva’s family wish to thank everyone for their prayers, condolences, and assistance this past year.
