Kent Sandvik

One of the early settlers of the Matanuska Valley from the mainland United States, Kent Sandvik, 89, passed away peacefully on March 16, 2023.

A service will be held at Palmer Seventh-day Adventist Church, 2238 Inner Springer Loop, Palmer, AK 99645 at 4:00 pm Thursday, March 23. A viewing will begin at 2:00 pm. The burial will be at Pioneer Memorial this spring.

Kent was born on June 24, 1933, in Moose Lake, Minnesota. When he was just one year old, his family along with 202 other families settled in the Matanuska Valley in Palmer, Alaska, as part of Roosevelt’s New Deal. His was one of 20 families to remain long-term in the Valley.

Kent attended Laurelwood Adventist Academy in Gaston, Oregon, and there met Vivian “Ibbie” Pearson. The couple married on February 8, 1953, and were blessed with four children. Kent worked as a commercial fisherman in Bristol Bay, Alaska, in addition to plaster work and farming his family’s original plot of land, which he continued to manage until his passing.

Kent, known by many as “Grandpa Sandvik,” will be remembered for his friendly sense of humor and energetic diligence, but most of all for his strong faith in God. Kent was a member of the Palmer Seventh-day Adventist Church, where he often sang and whistled his favorite hymns including “Lift Up the Trumpet.”

Kent is survived by his wife, “Ibbie,” Chuck and Vickie Sandvik of Nampa, Idaho, Randy and Patti Sandvik of Palmer, Alaska, Ronda Sandvik of Troy, Idaho, and Vonya Sandvik of Anchorage, Alaska, as well as 11 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

“Lift up the trumpet and loud let it ring, Jesus is coming again.”