Richard Lee Besse

Richard Lee Besse, age 80, of Wasilla, Alaska, passed away on March 11, 2026.

Rick was born in Devils Lake, North Dakota, and grew up in the small town of Starkweather, North Dakota. He proudly attended the University of North Dakota where he was a Theta Chi Fraternity member where he made close life long friends. UND is also where he encountered his first love, flying. Rick made the decision to move to Alaska in 1971. The move wasn't just a change of location, it set the course for the rest of his life. He built his life there, spending many years in Anchorage before moving to Wasilla in 1998.

He was a Professional Engineer and a Land Surveyor, and among the first engineers to pass the surveying exam. He was a founding member of Besse, Epps & Potts and later started Besse Engineering, where he was still working the week before he died. Over the years, he helped develop thousands of residential lots, commercial properties and he played a major role in building communities across Alaska. He also worked for MOA Public Works and served as General Manager of the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility in the late 1980s.

Rick was a builder; he was never wired to sit still. He had a drive for adventure that most people never come close to, and it showed up in everything he did. Aviation was at the center of it. He hunted wolves above the Arctic Circle in his Super Cub, and flying out for fishing trips several nights a week was just part of everyday life for our family. He flew a Cessna 210 around the world and he sailed his boat, Chester Fritz, up and down the West Coast and to Hawaii. He was always pushing a little farther and always looking for what was next.

He believed in doing things the right way: don't lie, don't steal, pay your debts, and leave things better than you found them. He expected a lot from himself and from others, and he lived that every day.

Along the way, he met the love of his life, his wife Jill. They built a life together in Alaska, raising a family and sharing in ups and downs and many adventures. She was by his side through it all, and their life together with their children and grandchildren was something he was deeply proud of.

He is survived by his wife, Jill Besse; his daughter, Megan (Dave) Glanville, and their children, Janie and Briel; his son, Adam (Jessica) Besse, and their children, Cameron and Cassidy; his brother, Lamoure Besse and his sisters, Austia Hickey and Bonnie Reitz. He was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence and Viola Besse.

Rick built a life in Alaska and lived it fully. The things he did, the places he went, and the way he lived will carry on through the people who knew and loved him.