David Edmunds

Dave Edmunds, 46, died on December 4, 2013 at Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage, AK following a courageous battle with cancer. He leaves a devoted family and a legion of friends.

Born in Anchorage on July, 7, 1967, David Christopher Edmunds was the grandson of civil engineer Chris Edmunds, who chaired the Alaska Road Commission in Territorial days and built the road into Denali National Park, and Betty Edmunds, who went to Fort Yukon as an Episcopalian missionary nurse to serve during the influenza epidemic of 1918. His maternal grandparents were also in Alaska in the early years: Irving "Red" Call was City Manager of Fairbanks immediately after WWII, and later was a project engineer for White Alice, the satellite component of the DEW Line defense, and Betty Call was the Fairbanks librarian. David's father, Morgan Christopher, is a retired civil engineer who worked many years at Elmendorf Air Base before taking the family abroad to live and work in Italy for the Mediterranean division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Here, David first developed his palate for delicious food.

After high school (he called himself "a rebel without a clue") David joined the US Army in 1986 and was a tank driver in Germany and Texas. After an honorable discharge, he enrolled in Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, then transferred to the University of Arizona, and making a full circle returned back to his roots in Alaska, by earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. While at UAF, he met and married the love of his life, Maria Samortseva, an MBA student from the Sakha Republic, Russia. From 1997 to 2004 he worked for Western Geco, a seismic exploration company that took him to the North Slope, Canada, Texas, Colorado, Oman, Malaysia, and North Central Siberia.

Dave was a dedicated Alaskan. From 2004 to the present, Dave worked for the State of Alaska in the Departments of Environmental Conservation and Natural Resources. His competence, friendliness and sense of humor made him a favorite of many of his co-workers, and his love for the Alaskan lifestyle led him on many hunting expeditions for caribou, sheep, and mountain goat.

He lived life to the fullest, throwing himself into many adventures and athletic pursuits: completing the grueling Equinox Marathon in Fairbanks on a dare without preparation, cross country skiing in many of the Tour of Anchorage races, and participating in triathlons, marathons, and cycling events, even finishing the Fireweed 200 miles race, cycling from Sheep Creek to Valdez. He enjoyed early morning tennis, and his most recent focus was to become an excellent recurve archer.

His favorite community involvements were Bridge Builders of Anchorage and the social activities of the Sakha community. He was famous among friends for his cooking skills and he and his wife hosted many parties serving gourmet and unusual dishes.

Dave is survived by many loved ones including his beloved wife Maria; mother Mary Edmunds; father Morgan Edmunds and step-mother Virginia Tweedy Edmunds; sisters Megan, Lucinda, and Mathilda Edmunds; mother-in-law Polina Samortseva; host-daughter Lenochka Petrova from Yakutsk; brothers-in-law Scott Lowry, Michael Chao, and Stephen Groundwater; nieces Roxanne and Selena Chao, and Margot Groundwater; aunt Elizabeth "Whizzie" Donohoe; cousins Tommy Chris Donohoe, Willard Nagley III, Sarah Jane Edmunds, Tom Call, Diane Call, and Paneen Allen.

Visitation will be held on Monday, December 9, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. at Janssen's Evergreen Memorial Chapel, downtown at 737 E St, with a service immediately following at 12:00 p.m. Burial is on Wednesday, December 11, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. at Angelus Memorial Park Cemetery, 440 E Klatt Rd. The family welcomes all at any of these events.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to "The David Edmunds Memorial Fund" at AlaskaUSA FCU, which among other things will provide funds to The National LeioMyoSarcoma Foundation.

Arrangements are with Janssen Funeral Homes.