KENNETH R. BEST

Big Lake resident Kenneth Robert Best, 65, died Aug. 2, 2010, from lung cancer at his home in Big Lake.

A celebration of Ken’s life will be held a 2 p.m. Aug. 14 at his home in Big Lake. For directions to the house, please call 907-230-0139. His ashes will be scattered over the Innoko River near McGrath.

Ken was born Dec. 31, 1944, to Albert and Marjorie (Meyer) Best in Arlington Heights, Ill. He was a renaissance man. Originally from the Chicago suburbs, he was born to be in Alaska. As a young boy in Illinois, he would load up his scooter with gear and go deer hunting all by himself. Whatever he wanted to do, he did it. Ken started his career as a carpenter. As a self-taught draftsman, he began building houses in the early 1970s after moving to Anchorage. He built what was then the new Arctic Roadrunner at the ripe old age of 27. When the housing market hit bottom in the 1980s, he decided to become a commercial fisherman and taught himself the tricks of the trade. He retired from construction in 2005.

His true passion was the outdoors. To get to the big game, you needed a plane, so that’s what he did. He got his pilot’s license and a few short years later shot a world-record moose that is still in the top 10. Whether it was close calls with bears, landing a Cessna on one ski or plucking a friend’s plane from the bottom of a frozen lake, Ken came to Alaska seeking the ultimate adventure, and through his many experiences, he achieved it.

His luck was not limited to surviving the outdoors. He was lucky enough to be surrounded by friends and family to support him through the good and bad. His family would like to thank Dennis Geise, Sherry Peterson, Roy Derwinkle and Terry Beal, among others, for their support.

“Ken was truly one-of-a-kind and he will be greatly missed,” wrote the family.

Ken is survived by his daughter, Sarah Best of Brooklyn, N.Y; son, Kenneth C. Best of Anchorage; and former spouse, Helen Best of Chugiak.

Arrangements were by the Valley Funeral Home & Crematory.