www.AlaskaMiners.org 51 tive in the restoration of Prince William Sound following the Exxon-Valdez oil spill. He represented the Secretary of Agriculture on the Federal Subsistence Board and Oil Spill Trustee Council. After retiring from the Forest Service, Mike served as Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Transportation two separate times under Governors Hickel and Murkowski. He was pleased to continue his work in public service after retirement from the federal government. Mike was active in the Society of American Foresters, the Soil and Water Conservation Society of America, the American Forestry Association, the American Fisheries Society, the National Woodland Owners Association, and Ducks Unlimited. He served on the Board of Trustees for the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority for five years, three years as Chair. He was an active community volunteer as a member of the Juneau Rotary Club and as a board member for the Juneau Airport and Gastineau Channel Little League. He co-chaired the Golden North Salmon Derby for five years and the Laps for Little League fundraiser for several years. For decades, he has sponsored a Little League baseball team each year, the Smokey Bears. Mike loved his family, his work, his community, his dogs, hiking in the woods, the sound of spring breakup on Shagawa, chocolate cake in a glass of milk, a long drive down a road going nowhere, a good thunderstorm, a salty bowl of popcorn. One of his great joys was watching his granddaughters, Haley and Sarah, grow up. He rarely missed a performance, recital, soccer game or swim meet. He was their biggest cheerleader and they, his. Mike was predeceased by his parents, Byron and Evie. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Sharon; his children Valerie (Max) Mertz and Craig Barton; his brother Randall (Ann) Barton; and his granddaughters, Haley and Sarah Mertz along with many cousins, nieces, nephews, and countless old and new friends. Mike was a man of few words and deep emotion. He left those he met along the way better than how he found them. He will be greatly missed. A celebration of life will be held in Juneau at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to Gastineau Channel Little League or the American Cancer Society. The family can be reached at PO Box 240070, Douglas AK 99824. Richard William Flanders Richard William Flanders was born April 22, 1950, and died on Nov. 18, 2023. Richard attended high school in Ortonville, Michigan, then attended Michigan State University and received a Master's degree in geology from the University of Idaho. Richard spent his early life in Birmingham, Michigan, and was later raised on the family farm in Ortonville, Michigan. He lived his adult life in Fairbanks, Alaska, but returned often to Ortonville, Michigan, to visit family and friends. He was devoted to his graduating class of 1968, organizing class reunions and wild game dinners for his high school friends. After college, Richard and his dear college friend, Chris Puchner, migrated to Alaska and bought five acre parcels across from each other outside Fairbanks. Richard was a Renaissance man! Although his formal training was in geology - rocks, minerals and ore deposits - he had many and varied self-taught interests and expertise, as well as a very diverse group of friends. He was as adept at building his own beautiful log house as working on an engine, sewing himself a fur hat, or a tea cozy for a friend. His geologic consulting work in mineral exploration and development projects took him all over Alaska and the Lower 48, as well as to Mongolia, Greenland, Europe and Central America. Early in his career he worked for several years in water resources and glacier studies in Alaska and Antarctica. During a downturn in mineral exploration, his experiences setting up remote camps led to several years as camp manager for the University of Alaska's Toolik Research Station on the Alaska North Slope. He enjoyed flying his own plane, fishing, shooting and loading and was a member of the Parker gun group, the Alaska Miners Association and a loyal volunteer to the Resident Hunters of Alaska. He made and sold jewelry featuring gemstones. He collected many butterflies and insects during his travels throughout Alaska, and regularly donated them to the University of Alaska Museum of the North. He was a good cook and enjoyed serving delicious meals on his Russian China or putting up a shelf full of canned foods and jam. He was an incredible guitar and stand up bass player and many greatly enjoyed playing bluegrass music with him. He loved to swing dance. His confidence and zest for living was contagious, and he used it to mentor several young people who were figuring out how to start their lives. Richard was preceded in death by his parents, William and Ruth Flanders; his brother, Patrick; and his sister, Christine. He is survived by his sister, Michelle Paschal, and his brothers, William Lyle Flanders and William Ernest Flanders Jr., as well as many nieces and one nephew. Richard was a participant and not a bystander in life, and his can-do attitude and quiet, dry humor are greatly missed by his many family members and friends. Continued on Pages 52-56
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