Gudrun Ingeborg “Goody” Sparling, nee Erickson (1926 - 2018)
Gudrun Erikson was born in Whitehorse to John Olaf and Kristina Erickson, and she and her brother were raised in the Regina Hotel, the family business. Goody graduated from the Lambert Street School and then attended Teacher’s College in Vancouver. She returned to the Yukon to teach in a one-room schoolhouse in Carcross.1)
Goody married Joe Sparling in 1948 and they left the Yukon to live in Edmonton and Vancouver where they raised two sons and two daughters.2) They retired to Palm Springs, California.3) After Joe died, Goody returned to Whitehorse in 1978 and she and her brother ran the Regina Hotel until 1997. Valerie [“Val”] Graham was the bookkeeper for much of that time, and she and Goody were active in the MacBride Museum Society and the Golden Age Society.4)
The Yukon Historical and Museums Association (YHMA) 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award went to two recipients: Gudrun Sparling and Babe Richards. The ladies were nominated together by Jim Robb. Robb wrote, “These ladies lived in Whitehorse when the town’s population was 300-400 people, and have through the years, always shared their valuable knowledge, experience and history of the area, to both the general public and to the media. These two lifelong friends have contributed a lot through the years.”5)
Goody Sparling is remembered for her knowledge of Yukon history, her extensive wardrobe, and her love of adventure and chocolate.6) Goodie was involved in numerous local organizations including: the Tourism Industry Association of the Yukon, the Chamber of Commerce, MacBride Museum Society, Transportation Museum, the Yukon Order Of Pioneers, Fireweed Lions Club, Anglican Church Women, the Yukon Historical and Museums Association, and the Vancouver Yukoners Association.7)