Wendy Wesser

Beloved wife, mother, and daughter, Wendy Anne Hjellen Wesser, went to Jesus on Sunday, August 27, 2023. She passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her husband and daughters, succumbing to a recurrence of ovarian cancer. Wendy had been a resident of Wasilla and a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Wasilla since 1997, living in her log home on Lake Lucille.

Wendy was born to Gilbert Eric Hjellen and Judith Ann Kinsman on March 23, 1963 in Seattle, Washington, the older sister to her brother Eric. Wendy’s family moved to her father’s home state of Alaska in 1969, after living in Long Beach, California, for 5 years. Her parents were teachers in Metlakatla for 3 years before moving to Anchorage, and teaching in the Anchorage School District. Wendy graduated from East High School in Anchorage in 1980 and started a summer job with the State of Alaska as a computer operator in the land mapping agency with the Department of Natural Resources, meeting her future husband Ralph Wesser there, a contracted computer consultant also working with the DNR.

Wendy and Ralph were married on March 25, 1983 in Anchorage. Wendy gave birth to her first daughter, Laura, on July 18, 1984, and became a stay-at-home mom. In 1985, Wendy and Ralph moved to Juneau, Alaska, as Ralph became the state’s Database Administrator. In Juneau, Wendy gave birth to her second and third daughters, Lindsey and Anne. Wendy continued to stay at home caring for her three daughters.

In 1992 Wendy and family moved back to Anchorage where Ralph continued to work for the state until 1997 when he took an early retirement. Prior to his retirement Wendy and Ralph moved to Wasilla and fulfilled a childhood dream of Wendy’s to purchase and live in the log home on Lake Lucille built by her Great-grandfather Heinie Snider, an Alaskan Pioneer. During this time of transition, Wendy started working as an accountant for Davis Constructors and Engineers in 1995 with her aunt, Helene Beatty. Wendy loved her job and the people she worked with and continued to work for Davis for the next 18 years doing the daily commute to and from Anchorage while Ralph became a stay-at-home dad. It was important to both Wendy and Ralph that their daughters always had a parent at home to look after them. While raising their daughters, Wendy and Ralph made every effort to attend all of their daughters’ sporting and extracurricular events, prioritize family vacations, and show and teach God’s love.

After her retirement, Wendy filled her time with activities she loved: planning family travel, gardening, writing, helping edit her daughter’s magazine (Last Frontier Magazine), and being a full-time mother and grandmother, her greatest joy.

Wendy is survived by her husband Ralph; daughters Laura Lowdermilk (husband Raymond and sons Tristan and Nathan), Lindsey VanTassel (husband Kyle and children Tad, Mailey, and Lucy), and Anne Sanders (husband Cecil and sons Charlie and Ben). Wendy is also survived by her brother Eric Hjellen (wife Paula, son Sebastian), mother Judy Beatty (husband Bill) and her father Gil Hjellen (wife Silver).

Wendy is remembered for her love and devotion to family; her joyful, happy and fun-loving demeanor; and radiant smile. Wendy embodied the Apostle Paul’s definition of love, being patient, kind, not jealous, humble, supportive and considerate of others, quick to forgive, and staying close with God, keeping the faith to the very end of her life.

A memorial service will be held 1:00 pm Saturday, September 9, at the First Presbyterian Church of Wasilla.

In lieu of flowers, financial contributions in memory of Wendy Wesser can be made to Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance. www.ocrahope.org