Carol Ann Heeks Brice

1936 - 2023

Carol Ann Heeks Brice, beloved wife of Al, mother to Jennifer, Sam, Hannah, Ben and Rebecca, died on Feb. 6, 2023. She was 86.

Born in Bronxville, New York, on July 10, 1936, to William Garland Heeks and Lucia Bell Page, Carol attended the Emma Willard School in Troy, New York, Colby College in Waterville, Maine, and received a nursing degree from Columbia Presbyterian, New York. Looking for a change, she applied for two jobs and swore she'd say yes to whichever came through first. The Fairbanks Public Health Center's offer arrived just one day before the offer from Good Ship Hope, a Naval operated hospital.

In the summer of 1961, she and a friend drove from New York to Fairbanks, sleeping most nights on the ground beside her Plymouth Valiant. Her supervisor at the Fairbanks Health Center, Mary Carey, forbade her to fall in love, but she did it anyway. Within months of being set up on a blind date with Al Brice, he asked for her hand in marriage. Her response, "Marry you? I don't even know you!" But, it didn't take long for her to realize that Al and Alaska would be forever. They would have celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary on Feb. 17.

Al's work in construction, building infrastructure in rural Alaska, required extended absences from home. Carol soon realized that if they were going to raise their family together, she would need to make some life adjustments. Carol left her job, packed up the family's belongings and joined Al in the northwestern Alaska village of Noorvik. This was the beginning of Carol's deep appreciation for the Native people and culture of Alaska. Carol and Al were given the opportunity to adopt a young boy from Utqiagvik who suffered from fetal alcohol effects. They quickly embraced the chance. Ben brought a special joy to the whole family until his passing in 2010.

In the early '60s, as a young public health nurse in Fairbanks, Carol began to look for ways to help alleviate child abuse and neglect. The first project she threw herself into was Head Start. In the 1970s, Carol was even more determined to address these issues. Along with a grassroots group of concerned community members, they established what is now known as The Resource Center for Parents and Children. As her children grew and became more independent, Carol took the opportunity to go back to school where she earned a Masters in education and counseling at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. While simultaneously teaching at Tanana Valley Community College and working as a child advocate for the Fairbanks court system, she started Family Training Associates, dedicating even more time to improving the lives of children and providing support to parents. She converted her basement into a workshop and taught hundreds of classes that supported healthy parenting techniques. Throughout her life, Carol promoted the vision of multiple family-centered nonprofits being housed under one roof. This vision became a reality with the opening of the Carol H. Brice Family Center in 1994.

Volunteering was Carol's life blood; she was fond of saying, "It's the rent we pay for living." This was embodied in her work throughout the '90s when she answered Gov. Tony Knowles call to activate and chair the Alaska Children's Trust. This gave Carol the opportunity to continue her advocacy for children and educate others on the growing concern of child abuse and neglect both at the state and national level. A portion of the fundraising efforts from this era are still active and include the "KID" Alaska license plates, heirloom birth and marriage certificates, and her favorite Fairbanks event, the annual Mush For Kids.

Above all else, Carol valued her time with her family. She spent time with her children and grandchildren, beating them soundly at Scrabble, Parcheesi, cards and dice. "Tutu" as she became known, borrowing from the Hawaiian name for grandmother, rarely missed a sporting or academic event. Her annual "Teddy Bear Picnic" became an anticipated annual lawn party including great-nieces and -nephews, neighbors and the children of family friends. Carol enjoyed gardening under the midnight sun as much as she enjoyed banding birds in the early mornings, almost always with a grandchild in tow.

In Carol's late 60s, she was diagnosed with cognitive decline, likely due to Alzheimer's. She promptly enrolled in a multi-year clinical drug trial with the full knowledge that any cure, if it came, would be too late for her but might benefit future generations. Believing she had only a year or two to live life fully, she traded in her Volvo for a convertible, and she hiked the Chilkoot Trail.

No one could have predicted how long and rich the final chapter of her life would turn out to be. She traveled the world far and wide and crisscrossed the country in a camper van piloted by her Al. When she was in Fairbanks, she worked in her garden. When she was in the tropics, she collected seashells. From the porch of their cabin in McCarthy, she and Al watched the sun rise and set on the Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains. Baxter, her beloved service dog, was a constant. And wherever Carol was, so was he.

It would be impossible to mention all the extended family and friends that Carol loved dearly. It is worth mentioning her cherished relationship with her nieces, nephews and God Children. She touched the lives of so many with her wisdom and her generous, caring spirit.

Carol is survived by her husband, Al, and children, Jennifer Brice; Sam Brice, Hannah Brice Smith, and Rebecca Brice Henderson; daughter-in-law Theresa Brice, and sons-in-law Donald Smith and Todd Henderson. Carol's grandchildren are Julia and William Brice; Kinzea, Emeline, and Clara Jones; Angela, Kristina, and Becca Smith; and Tavis and Jonah Henderson; and a great-granddaughter, Ruby Sipho. Her sister, Sandie Jordhamo, and brother, William G. Heeks Jr., both survive her.

A celebration of her life is planned for July 9 in Fairbanks.

Although Carol loved flowers, her philanthropic spirit would be honored if donations would be made to any nonprofit that supports children and families. A fund has been established at the Alaska Community Foundation supporting the philanthropic interests of the Brice Family throughout the state, alaskacf.org/funds/brice-family-foundation-fund.