Lee Christopher Breinig

Dec 29, 1988 -

Mar 13, 2023

Lee Christopher Breinig, 34, died unexpectedly in Craig, Alaska, on March 13, 2023. He recently moved there to begin a new journey and start a new position with Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium. Lee was born in Seattle, and raised in Kasaan, Juneau, and Anchorage, Alaska. He attended kindergarten, first grade and three years of high school in Juneau, and graduated, in 2007, from Polaris K-12, lottery school, in Anchorage. In 2016, he graduated from UAA with AAS in human services. Lee's behavioral health certifications included Peer Support Specialist III, Brain Spotting I and II, and Chemical Dependency Counselor. Because of his expertise, he was invited to serve on the governor's Advisory Board for Alcoholism and Drug Addiction between 2016-2023, and was elected chair twice. He also served on the Peer Support Advisory Council and helped develop guidelines and criteria for Alaska's peer support specialists. Post-humous, Lee was honored with an annual Peer Support Excellence award in his name. His dream was to build a holistic, culturally based residential healing and recovery center on Prince of Wales Island.

Lee was known as a compassionate, kind young man, who enjoyed helping others succeed. He advocated for people experiencing homelessness, disabilities, addictions and mental health challenges. Lee had a subtle sense of humor, and enjoyed playing and coaching soccer, archery, hiking, skateboarding, snowboarding, music, chess and reading.

Lee was enrolled in the Organized Village of Kasaan; Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska and was a shareholder in Sealaska and Kavilco ANCSA corporations. He carried his maternal great-grandfather Louis Lear Jones' Haida name - St'aast - and was Raven Brown Bear, TaasLaanas clan.

Lee is survived by parents, Jeane (Coburn) Breinig and Chris Breinig of Kasaan and Anchorage; brother, Luke of Anchorage; aunt, Della Coburn of Kasaan; uncle, Mike and aunt Nancy (Kinghorn) of Sammamish, Wash.; aunt, Cindy Breinig of Jacksonville, Ore.; numerous cousins; and the love of his life and best friend, Ksenia Leshtaeva.

In summer 2023, Lee's ashes will be scattered in Kasaan Bay, and his memorial stone placed in the Kasaan cemetery.