Buckwheat Donahue, a man described as "larger than life" by friend Jeff Brady, passed away last Monday at the age 68 in his hometown of Oklahoma City. Brady said his ashes will return to Alaska.

Donahue spent much of his life in Skagway, Alaska. It was in 1984 when he and a friend decided to come up to Alaska. For a month, they painted houses in Cordova, then journeyed to Sitka, where they boarded a ferry.

He enjoyed drinking and a partying in his younger days, said Brady, who became fast friends with him over beers after meeting Donahue at the Red Onion Saloon. Donahue had himself a wild night in the ferry bar. The next morning, he found himself asleep in the solarium with two women hovering over him as the boat cruised by the mountains by Lynn Canal.

Brady said Donahue "thought he had died and gone to heaven."

He was supposed to be travelling to Juneau when he missed his stop. The two women who found him asleep persuaded him into coming to Skagway with them.

Donahue stayed at the old Bunkhouse and participated in several Fourth of July events. After a few days, Brady said, Donahue declared he would be back someday. He had fallen in love with Skagway.

Nearly a year later, after his mother's death, Donahue kept true to his word, returned to Skagway and purchased a home in the middle of town.

Donahue had a passion for many things. He played Frank Reid and other roles in the Days of '98 show at the Eagles, where he became president, then got a job as a gold-panning balladeer at Liarsville Gold Camp.

It was there he started reciting Robert W. Service poetry and became so good that he eventually created his own show, "Buckwheat At Your Service".

He was an avid hiker and paddler, and made many contributions to the sporting communities of both Skagway and the Yukon.

In 1987, he founded the Buckwheat Classic as a "way to get more women to come to Skagway in the winter."

"The first year, there were terrible conditions and only 13 people signed up," said Brady. "It grew up from there to what it is today."

It now draws upward of 400 cross-country skiers annually on the Log Cabin Ski Trails, which are maintained by Skagway volunteers.

Tracey Bilsky, the executive director of Sport Yukon, and her family have been friends with Donahue for many years. Bilsky said he loved people.

"Human connection was his mission, his currency," said Bilsky. "He made people feel special and noticed, and that has to be a real core value in a person. He really wanted to get to know people; that's why people love him. He was so heartfelt."

Bilsky said Donahue recognized the power of sport in bringing people together.

"He loved bringing Yukoners and Alaskans together," said Bilsky. "He was always thrilled people could come together in recreation but still be competitive. He was so happy to have the Olympic skiers at the race. He saw value in sports and what sports gave."

Donahue also co-founded the Dyea to Dawson Centennial Race to the Klondike, which ran in 1997 and 1998 which evolved into the Yukon River Quest.

He was also on Sport Yukon's organizing committee for the Klondike Road Relay and its official starter in Skagway for 20 years.

"He helped with the first two checkpoints on the American side," said Bilsky. "He was the lifeblood of the start of the race. He made people feel like it was the most special race."

Each race began with a howl.

Bilsky said Donahue was always learning and always interested.

"He lived a big life," said Bilsky. "His scope was wide. He educated himself so he could connect with people."

His enthusiasm showed when Whitehorse hosted the 2007 Canada Summer Games.

"He was so excited about the Games in 2007," said Bilsky. "He volunteered and became fascinated with pin collecting. He had so many pins it looked like he had on a suit of armour.

"He always gave and wanted to volunteer."

Donahue's involvement in the community led to him getting the tourism director job in 1999. He served the Skagway community for 16 years.

During his tenure as tourism director, he received permission to take a year-long sabbatical to raise money for Skagway's Dahl Memorial Clinic. It was an ambitious journey by foot and paddle across North America.

Donahue was diabetic, and a year before the journey he had a heart attack. He quit smoking and rarely drank anymore, said Brady; he wanted to get healthy and do more good.

On Oct. 1, 2005, he started in Miami and walked 4,600 miles (7,402 km) reaching the Teslin River on June 8, 2006. From there, he paddled down the Yukon River and out to Kotlik, Alaska, reaching the Bering Sea in early August.

After a flight to Nome, he walked some more and after another plane ride to Whitehorse, he began his final leg. On Sept. 8, 2006, he walked into Skagway.

Brady said the newspaper stopped the presses, the school let out early, and traffic halted. The children howled as they followed him down Broadway to the AB Hall.

Donahue raised $75,000 US on the journey, and his shoes were bronzed and put on display in the new clinic.

Another proud accomplishment of his, said Brady, was on July 4, 2008. Donahue organized a Guinness World Record Egg Toss with 1,162 tossers – a record that stands today.

Brady and Bilsky said they will honour Donahue in some way at the next Buckwheat Classic and Klondike Road Relay.

"We will absolutely honour him in some way," said Bilsky. "He wasn't here for the past race, and we missed him at the start."

Bilsky said her family and a lot of people in the sports community are heartbroken by the loss of Donahue.

"We gained a guardian," said Bilsky. "In the end, his body couldn't keep up with his spirit."