Everett Paul Wenrick

1939 - 2024

Everett Paul Wenrick, born Aug. 13, 1939, in Toledo, Ohio, passed peacefully in his own home in Fairbanks, Alaska, on Oct. 23 2024. During the preceding days his small, cozy home was full of life; friends, daughters, granddaughters, great-granddaughters and dogs. "Ev" was preceded in death by his wife, Anne Bradford Leedy Wenrick, and is survived by his dog, Mellow; sisters, Deloris, Sherri and Loreena; daughters, Jennifer and Katherine; granddaughters, Rachel, Seana and Salak; and great-grandchildren, Alani, Rio, Jianna and Beau.

Ev first came to Alaska in 1961 to work in Fort Yukon. It was through the Episcopal Diocese and Bishop Gordan that he met his future wife, Anne, who was also from the midwest and working in the village that summer. They fell in love and, united by their shared convictions of social justice reform and spirits of adventure, got married. Ev wanted to be a minister and tried to apply to divinity school at EDS in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but was told to go out into the world first and live, and after a few years if he still had the same convictions, then apply. So he did. They returned to Alaska and got teaching jobs in Delta Junction in 1962 and Sitka in 1963. The strong pull of faith and service found them back in Cambridge, and Ev was enrolled in seminary from 1964 to 1968. During that time they were involved in the civil rights movement and spent nine months in Selma, Alabama, helping to register people to vote. Though their time there was short, it was impactful. They marched for peace and equality with Dr. Martin Luther King and up until the end of his life, Ev would sing gospel songs and tell the story with tears in his eyes of the killing of his fellow clergyman and friend, Jonathan Daniels, who saved the life of a young black activist.

Ev and Anne chose to return to Alaska after he was ordained and moved to Seward where he became the minister at St. Peter's Episcopal Church. This was where he first strapped on a pair of cross-country skis and found his heaven on Earth leading to a lifetime of self-propelled travel and exploration over ice fields, up mountains, through woods and down rivers. He gradually made a business out of sharing his love of the outdoors, skiing and canoeing by wilderness guiding and becoming a ski and canoe and instructor.

Ev's approach with his ministry was broad, inclusive, humanitarian and progressive. He encouraged freedom of thought. Anne would make soup and feed anyone who was hungry. He became known as the "hippy" priest in Seward, and although backed by Bishop Gordan, got run out of town and out of a job. They had their first daughter, Jennifer, by then and moved to Anchorage. There they had their second daughter, Katherine, and Ev worked odd jobs until he got the position as campus minister at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Their house on (then dirt) University Avenue became a gathering place for musicians, artists, adventurers, climbers, peace activists, pipeline workers and church affiliates culminating in regular Friday night potlucks. The Wenricks' doors were open. Dr. North's Traveling Circus and Medicine Show and the Tanana Tuning Company were born and musicians and pantomime artists along with the Wenrick family traveled to pipeline towns to entertain the workers. Ev was Dr. North, and read the poetry of Robert Service, which he loved and could recite until his last days. Anne and the girls sang with the musicians.

As the years went by, Ev gradually shifted out of ministry within the church and into sharing his passion for the outdoors through guiding, teaching skiing, canoeing and rock climbing, and directing and participating in the Wilderness Classic for 10 years or so (a race through wilderness in which you pick your own route and use nonmotorized means of travel). In addition Ev formed a program for troubled youth called Sojourners. He and (lifelong friend to become) Vista volunteer Karen Toland taught basic wilderness survival and first aid skills to a group of youth. They took the kids on river trips challenging them with overnight solos, orienteering with map and compass, glacier skiing, leadership opportunities and various community service projects. A few of those "kids" kept in touch with Ev throughout the years.

In his later years Ev was a fixture at Beaver Sports, where he sold skis and canoes, and a source of endless entertaining stories of his eclectic adventures. He, like many Alaskan adventurers, attempted to climb Denali but was weathered out at 17,000 feet. He loved talking about having paddled his canoe down the entire length of the Tanana River, from headwater tributaries to mouth, mostly with only a dog for company.

Some of Ev's favorite sayings were "Prepare for the worst and hope for the best!", "Ski ya later!" And "It's always right to go." Ev will be remembered for his steadfast passion for the outdoors, for his love of skiing and canoeing, for his campfire cooking, for his stories; and on a deeper plane, his personal perseverance, his civil rights work and peace activism, his leadership and genuine nature, his love of family and his open door where all are welcome.

A celebration of life and potluck will most likely happen come spring when it is comfortable to sit around a campfire and will be announced at a later date.