Marsha Marlene Pankratz

1954 - 2011

Local artist Marsha Marlene Pankratz died in her sleep April 14, 2011. Marsha was born April 7, 1954, to Helen and Fred Pankratz in Fairbanks.
She was a happy child, full of life and always with a huge smile. Marsha lived in Oregon and Valdez before returning to Fairbanks in 1979. She worked many jobs from laundry service, cleaning, paper delivery and office assistance. Marsha was known as an artist who worked in several mediums, including watercolors, acrylics and collage.
Marsha's day began with a cup of coffee. She often poured a cup for staff and brought it to them. She never had a problem getting up and ready for work. Just before leaving the house Marsha would select a hat from her varied collection, and sometimes that was a difficult decision for her. Marsha loved bowling and movies - and a visit to Hot Licks was always a good idea. On a sunny summer's day, Marsha could be found sitting in the sunshine enjoying the warmth and beauty of the day and watching the world go by.
Marsha participated in Special Olympics for many years and has numerous medals displayed to the awe of her nieces and nephews.
Marsha loved the fair with the rides, animals and food and looked forward to it every fall. She entered her artwork in competitions and won many ribbons. Marsha was an animal lover and always enjoyed seeing the great variety at the fair.
One of Marsha's favorite times was Christmas and decorating the tree was something that needed no prompting and made her smile, a smile that got bigger as the presents piled up over the weeks. As soon as the first snow arrived, she would start talking about Christmas. Marsha's favorite Christmas tune was "Frosty the Snowman" and she sang along with it, sometimes putting new words to the song. In the evening, she could be found sitting contentedly on the couch enjoying one of her favorite shows, "Scooby Doo," a good western or her all-time favorite movie "Grease" which Marsha called "Sydney" because of Olivia Newton John's character.
Marsha was very patriotic and she liked to see military people in uniform. If the flag appeared on TV or was seen outside, Marsha would always salute. She cherished taking drives on base to see the soldiers and, if given the opportunity, would walk up to them and salute.
Marsha always hammed it up for the camera, and you seldom saw a picture of her without her posing or making a face. Marsha had many unique sayings and funny antics. She was a kind soul, humorous and generous. She never failed to put a smile on people's faces.
Marsha's favorite foods were white ice cream, cheese pizza, hot dogs and cowboy beans. Her favorite color was green, especially camo.
A celebration of Marsha's life will be held at Fairbanks Resource Agency on Saturday, April 30, at 1 p.m. Please come to tell stories about Marsha and wear something green.
Arrangements were entrusted to Chapel of Chimes Funeral Home.