Gerald Lee DeHaas

Gerald (Jerry) L. DeHaas passed away in Fairbanks, AK on February 19, 2026 due to complications from prostate cancer. He spent his last few days comfortable and sharing laughs and memories with cherished friends and his wife and daughters. Our intelligent, loving, and sharp-witted husband, father, and friend is gone, and we are heartbroken. Still, we are profoundly grateful for the years we were given with a man so formidable, so singular, and so entirely himself.

Gerald was born July 29, 1952 in Grangeville, Idaho. He was the son of John W. and Susanna Stuivenga DeHaas. As a boy he, along with his siblings, helped his parents at the family farm. His dad would ask him to help out while working on tractor and truck repairs. This sparked a life-long interest and aptitude for anything mechanical. He worked as a mechanic at John Hoene Implement in Grangeville from 1969 to 1975. During his career as a mechanical engineer, he often took advantage of the practical skills he learned as a mechanic in his approach to problems and situations he encountered.

Gerald met Karyn, the love of his life and wife of 53 years, at Grangeville High School, where he also ran track and field and demonstrated his early intelligence and independence by excelling in the courses that mattered to him. Karyn and Gerald were married after her graduation, and they moved to Moscow, ID where Karyn worked to help pay Gerald's tuition at the University of Idaho. Gerald graduated in 3 and a half years with a degree in mechanical engineering, and had the highest score on the Engineer in Training exam in the entire state. His siblings later joked about the particular experience of taking demanding engineering courses beneath a plaque bearing Gerald's name, a source of both motivation and mild irritation.

His first daughter, Chelsea, was born during his college years, and not long after, she was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. Becoming her father shaped Gerald in profound ways. Her strength and needs ignited in him an even greater drive to work harder, to aim higher, and to build a life of security and possibility for his family.

After graduating, Gerald joined Hewlett-Packard's Disc Memory Division in Boise, Idaho, before moving in 1980 to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, where he served as Principal Mechanical Engineer with Phillips Petroleum. During those years, his second daughter, Lindsay, was born. She soon became his eager shadow, trailing him through countless home improvement projects. His brilliance was never confined to the workplace. At home, he engineered an ingenious chairlift to help Chelsea into the bath. Lindsay still remembers being four years old and receiving lessons in fluid dynamics from her father, delivered as casually as a bedtime story.

In 1991 he was transferred to the Phillips Petroleum Norway Division in Stavanger, Norway. He worked as a Supervisor and Lead Engineer of the Turbomachinery Section. His life and work in Norway were among his happiest memories later in life. Early in his time there, he learned that some meetings were being held in English only for him. This led to him learning Norwegian with the help of coworkers and Norwegian children's books. His final three years with Phillips Petroleum in Norway he was the Director of Mechanical Engineering and Maintenance.

In August 1998, Gerald fulfilled a lifelong dream of living and working in Alaska when he joined the engineering firm Alaska Anvil in Anchorage. His work there soon led to an opportunity with Alyeska Pipeline Service Company in Fairbanks, where he would serve as Lead Maintenance and Reliability Engineer for all rotating equipment along the Trans Alaska Pipeline. His responsibilities took him regularly to the pump stations along the pipeline and to Prudhoe Bay on the North Slope. He found this work both intellectually demanding and deeply gratifying. He valued the complexity of the systems, but even more so the trust and camaraderie of his colleagues.

In 2015, he was honored with the Alyeska Pipeline Atigun Professional Award. Upon his retirement in October 2021, he received a lifetime achievement award. True to his nature, however, the accolades mattered far less to him than the relationships. The items given pride of place in his home office were not the formal awards, but the farewell gifts from the technicians at the pump stations. These tokens of respect meant the most to him.

Beyond his professional life, Gerald devoted himself to building and improving the homes his family lived in, completing substantial additions in both Bartlesville and Fairbanks. He found equal satisfaction outdoors, photographing wildlife, dip-netting for salmon along the Copper River, and harvesting firewood from public tree stands. Ever intellectually curious, he closely followed the stock market and maintained a deep interest in the history of World War II.

He is survived by his wife Karyn, daughter Chelsea, and mother-in-law Gayle Hauger at the family home, daughter Lindsay, son-in-law Dan, and grandson Oslo of Melrose, MA, brothers Richard (Paula) DeHaas and James DeHaas, sisters Cathy Bailey and Chris (Tim) Haener; brother-in-law Steve (Judy) Hauger, sisters-in-law Lori (Len) Toye, and Suzanne Hartman; numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother, father, sister Carolyn and brothers John Jr. and Larry, and father-in-law Richard Hauger Jr.

Gerald was a devoted husband and a generous, steadfast father. He was our mechanic, our fixer of all things broken, our IT support, our resident philosopher, and our steady financial guide. He put pickles and cheese on just about anything and everything. He delighted in telling stories of his travels and discussing any topics of depth or humor. Above all, he loved Alaska, its vastness, its challenge, and the life it allowed him to build. In his final days, he urged us to remember the good times.

At his request, there will be no funeral service. There will be a private celebration of life later this year. His ashes will be scattered in the Yukon River where he loved taking photos on his way to and from Prudhoe Bay. In lieu of flowers, the family request that those who wish to express sympathy consider making a donation the Gerald DeHaas Memorial Fund. All contributions will go toward the long-term care of Jerry's daughter, Chelsea, who lives with muscular dystrophy.
Karyn DeHaas — Gerald DeHaas Memorial Fund
Global Credit Union
1261 Airport Way
Fairbanks, AK 99701
For any questions regarding contributions, please email [email protected].
Lykke til, Jerry, og beste onsker!