FRED MACHETANZ

Palmer resident Fred Machetanz, 94, died Oct. 6, 2002, at Valley Hospital in Palmer. A memorial service was held at 3 p.m. Thursday at the United Protestant Church in Palmer, with the Rev. Dennis Hotchkiss officiating.

Mr. Machetanz was born Feb. 20, 1908, in Kenton, Ohio, and first visited Alaska in 1935 following his graduation from Ohio State with a master's degree in art. After serving in the Aleutians in World War II, Fred met Sara Dunn, who was on a sightseeing trip in Alaska. They married in 1947 in Unalakleet. The couple built a cabin near Palmer in 1952, where they lived until Sara's death in September 2001.

In the 1950s, they spent much of their time in the Lower 48 giving lectures on Alaska, typically accompanied by their 98-pound sled dog Seegoo. In 1962, as a consequence of the generosity of several friends, he was able to concentrate on painting long enough to put on a one-man art exhibit. The exhibit was so successful that he was thereafter able to concentrate on painting.

Mr. Machetanz is best known for his paintings of Alaska, but also wrote and illustrated several books and filmed several documentaries of Alaska, most in close collaboration with his wife. He was elected to the Alaska Hall of Fame in 1966, named Alaskan of the Year in 1977, named Artist of the Year by American Artist magazine in 1981, and awarded an honorary doctorate by his alma mater, Ohio State, in 1984.

His family wrote, "Fred's passions were his family, his art and Palmer football. Fred was a loving husband and father, loyal friend and dedicated Alaskan. He believed in and cared deeply for his state and community, and we are richly rewarded in seeing how this state and community have cared for him."

He is survived by his son, Traeger, his daughter-in-law, Carolyn, and his grandchildren, Alexandra and Olivia.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be sent to charities benefiting the needy children of the world.