Remembering the life and legacy of Pat Carney

WASILLA — Pat Carney died peacefully in his Wasilla home March 3 at the age of 92.

The former Alaska State Representative is remembered most for his infectious smile, encouraging nature, tenacious and independent spirit, freely speaking his mind, and standing up for what he believed in.

MyHouse Mat-Su Homeless Youth Center founder Michelle Overstreet said that she’s going to miss her uncle’s sense of humor and how he invested he was in his family.

“He had a great smile and laugh. He had a tendency to find humor in things that not everybody found humor in. I’m gonna miss his connection to his family. He was always encouraging and kind, and just had a spirit about him that to me is kind of the Alaskan spirit, you know?” Overstreet said. “I think it’s amazing. I mean, how often do you get to have one guy that’s been a farmer, homesteader, army veteran, state representative, father of nine? That’s quite a legacy. That’s quite a diverse resume as you would say, right?”

Carney enjoyed outdoor activities, particularly horseback riding until late in his life. One of his all-time favorite pastimes was his weekly ritual of sitting down to chat over coffee with his friends and family. That’s one of the things his younger brother, Doug Carney, is going to miss most.

“Coffee at the Mocha Moose every Wednesday. Before this pandemic, we would meet down there for coffee. It was just a great get-together. We were bummed out when we couldn’t do it anymore. That’s the immediate thing as far as missing him… If you had a question or problem you could always pose it to him,” Doug said.

Carney was a lifelong Democrat who served two terms in the Alaska State Legislature, first from 1979 to 1982 then from 1991 to 1994.

“He tended to be brutally honest, which is why he didn’t make a legislature,” Doug said with a laugh. “He had two sessions, and he was sorely disappointed in politics because of the gamesmanship and guys playing politics. He was down there to get the job done and he got frustrated… He didn’t care for that, he told them what he thought of that, which made him unpopular sometimes… My daughter… she’s the same way. It’s a trait. Maybe it’s in our DNA. I don’t know.”

Overstreet marveled at the legacy of determination her uncle left behind.

“The group of people he served with were such game changers. Katie Hurley who we just lost… I think he was with a group of people that just changed so many things about Alaska and the representation for the Valley. He was just a game-changer,” Overstreet said.

Overstreet said that her uncle’s push to move the capital to Willow was one of his defining moments.

“Not a lot of people remember that, but that was a huge accomplishment at the time… The capital of Alaska was voted on by the people to be moved to Willow… and the state never funded it… but it passed and he was the champion for that bill,” Overstreet said. “What I remember him saying was, anybody who is in politics for any length of time, if they don’t stay really connect to their people and their roots become crooked and dishonest, and it was really important to him that he stay connected to his people… He felt like the capital in Juneau was in a place where it allowed for a lot more flim-flam and a lot less accountability. That was always part of what he talked about. He wasn’t afraid to sit down and have real life conversations.”

Carney first homesteaded in the Valley in 1949. He was drafted into the Korean War in 1951, and served a year in Korea as a Supply Sergeant with the 7th Infantry, 17th regiment “Buffalos” Company D.

After receiving a Bronze Star for his heroic service, Carney returned to Wasilla and married Barbara Ann Carter. They settled at the homestead along the banks of the Little Susitna River in 1955, starting a family and dairy farm.

“I think he was a man of the people. He was a farmer. All of his friends were farmers,” Overstreet said with a laugh. “All of us Carney kids grew up out there, where the darn dairy farm is… All the kids from the family and the adults out there hucking hay bales, just taking care of animals in the winter here. There’s about 40 kids that are children of those 11 siblings that came here. So, there’s just a whole mess of us.”

As far as older brothers go, Doug said that Carney was the “best you could ask for.”

“He was starting that dairy farm when I was a teenager and he worked my (butt) off. I already had a pretty good work ethic but he really embedded that in me... And also, he always pushed us as much as possible to further our education,” Doug said.

In between clearing his own fields, Carney also carved many roads and trails through the wilderness benefitting the community at large.

“He could probably be considered on the list of founding fathers for Wasilla, the Wasilla area. He was one of the only farmers on the Wasilla side. Most of them were over on the Palmer side and connected to the colony there. So, he was kind of the outlier. He was a little bit of a cowboy, a little bit of a renegade over here on the Wasilla side,” Overstreet said.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered U.S. flags and Alaska state flags to fly at half-staff to honor Carney’s life and legacy March 5.

Dunleavy and First Lady Rose Dunleavy issued the following statement on Carney’s service, “Pat Carney was a leader who made meaningful contributions in the Mat-Su Valley and the state as a whole. Pat was part of many significant decisions in Alaska’s history during his legislative service… Rose and I knew him personally and thank Pat for his contributions over his multiple terms in office. We offer our condolences to the Carney family in their time of grieving.”

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@forntiersman.com