Jack Darrell McKechnie

Jack Darrell McKechnie, 78, died May 7, 2013, at his home of natural causes.

Jack was born April 23, 1935 in Cloquet, Minn., to Ray and Diana McKechnie. The family moved to Palmer before Jack’s first birthday as part of the colonization of the Valley, along with his grandparents.

Jack grew up in the area and graduated from Palmer High in 1953. In his senior year, Jack was a quarterback on the very first high school football team in the state, where he played along with numerous other notorious Valley names. With little competition at hand, games were organized against military teams from Anchorage.

He attended University of Alaska Fairbanks and worked numerous jobs in and around the area until he settled on a career with the U.S. Geological Survey. Jack worked there many years as a hydrologist until his retirement. His career put him in nearly every corner of the state surveying waterways as a premier boatman and river runner. Jack’s career consisted in part with building trams, running boats or flying in with some legendary Bush pilots by which they monitored and serviced the numerous gauging stations throughout the state. We are pretty sure collecting and processing all the data wasn’t his favorite part.

In 1974, Jack was awarded a Citation of Valor by the head of the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C., for “Courageous Acton” in trying to save a co-worker’s life. Jack’s stories of his endeavors, when told, were quite interesting and plentiful. His career also folded into his passions for hunting, fishing, rock hounding and just being outdoors in general. Jack was truly a rugged Alaskan with a keen sense of humor and infectious laugh. Jack and his wife, Sue, lived in Anchorage while raising their children. They eventually retired to Palmer in the Butte area close to the original family farm, where they lived out their lives enjoying each other’s company along with family and friends. Jack was a member of the Palmer Moose Lodge, Palmer Elks Lodge and the Pioneers of Alaska.

Surviving are brother, Russ (Cheryl) McKechnie; sister-in-law, Sharon McKechnie; sons, Darrell (Maresa) McAllister and Marty (Brandi) Seiler; daughters, Linda Seiler, Cindy (Gordy) Richmond, Liz Whaley and Dale Ann (Eric) Gates; 15 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren, all of Alaska; aunt, Helen Jarivinen; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins in Alaska and Outside.

Preceding him in death were his parents, Ray and Dianna; wife, Sue; brothers, Jerry and Dennis; and a whole lot of others he cared for.

Jack requested his ashes to be spread on the Butte along with his father’s. A celebration of life is at the Palmer Moose Lodge at 2 p.m., June 15.