Duncan, Margaret Cogo shared humor, faith, love, end of life

Duncan Cogo was born into the eagle clan of the Haida people in Craig, a village in southeast Alaska.

Margaret Morrison was of the raven clan in nearby Hydaburg.

Their marriage 53 years ago in Hydaburg made them "lovebirds" in the Haida way, relatives say.

And so they were. They lived and worked together for 53 years, danced to the music of Lawrence Welk on TV, raised two daughters and spoiled their grandchildren with Alaskan treats and homemade toys.

The Cogos died Sunday (July 23) of heart failure within 12 hours of each other. He was 86; she was 77.

"He was healthy and strong until a year ago, and was our mother's caregiver all the years she had rheumatoid arthritis," said daughter Victoria Segundo of Seattle. "But he had a heart attack and began to deteriorate."

They had been separated the past two months while Mr. Cogo was in and out of Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. The family prayed they would see each other before dying.

Last Friday, Mrs. Cogo was rushed to Swedish.

"The staff allowed them to stay in the same room, and pushed their beds together, allowing them to see each other," said Segundo. "Although they were very weak, they sensed each other's presence. Our father's eyes filled with tears when he saw our mother next to him. He fell asleep first, and the family feels he called her to be with him in their glorious reward."

The tough and funny Mr. Cogo was a fisherman. His family sent him to Seattle to get an education at the old Broadway High School. But when he heard the bells, as he told it, he didn't know where to go, so he left and never went back.

He joined the Navy and served in the Philippines.

He married in 1947. The Cogos moved to Seattle in 1956. He ran a purse seiner in Alaska in the summer, taking his family. Later, he fixed engines at Foss Maritime.

Mrs. Cogo was, in her Bible's words, a "fisher of men," one who leads others to Christ. She was raised in a Christian household - her mother was converted by missionaries - and graduated from a private Christian school.

Hoping to teach, she attended Central Washington University for two years. Then she contracted tuberculosis and spent four years recuperating in Seattle before returning to Alaska.

After settling in Seattle she enjoyed teaching Sunday school, playing ukulele, cooking for potlatch feasts and teaching the Haida language.

"People called her `angel face,' she had such a strong faith," said her daughter. "Her main purpose in life was that all her children would know Jesus and love him. She prayed all the time that her husband would know Jesus, too. She accomplished that with us. The last months, her other prayers were answered when our father acknowledged Christ."

Also surviving are daughter Jeanne Jimenez, Seattle; Mr. Cogo's sisters Florence Mielke, Craig, Alaska, and Amanda Anderson, Hillsboro, Ore.; Mrs. Cogo's sisters Esther Nix, Hydaburg; and Louise Arrington and Mayella Ward, Seattle; her brothers Claude Morrison and Woodrow Morrison, Hydaburg; six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Services have been held. Donations may go to Philadelphia Church, 7704 24th Ave. N.W., Seattle, WA 98117.

Carole Beers' e-mail address is cbeers@seattletimes.com.