Simon Francis Sr. (1924 – 2017)
	
Simon Francis Sr. was a prominent bearer of Gwitch'in culture and tradition. He was born to Bella and Adam Francis in Whitehorse and was raised at Old Village (John Herbert's Village). He had thirteen brothers and one sister, and was the last of his Canadian family. Simon spent much of his life on the Porcupine River. He and Belle Strom were married in 1947. They lived at Old Village for eleven years and had six children. Simon would tell how he loaded the family’s 32-foot plank boat with the family, their dog team, the winter's fur, and provisions for hunting rats on the trip to Fort Yukon. He worked there, unloading steamboats, cutting wood and fighting fires, until late summer when the family returned upriver. In 1957, they began staying in Fort Yukon so their eldest child, Josie, could attend school. In 1962, the family moved to Canyon village, and in 1967, they moved to Chalkyitsik. Simon and his sons would travel to Old Village to trap. Simon and Belle later returned to Fort Yukon and then moved to Fairbanks so Belle would be near the hospital. Simon was renowned for his subsistence skills, traditional knowledge, and his snowshoe and sled-making, and he taught his skills to the youth. He and Belle served as Elders in Residence at the University of Alaska, teaching skills and cultural traditions. Simon also worked at the Riverboat Discovery for 15 years.((Sherron Jones, //Moccasin Telegraph,// 439th Edition – July 2nd, 2017.))