Mary Jane Fate

1933 - 2020

Athabascan elder and statewide leader, Mary Jane Fate, passed away peacefully on April 10, 2020, on Good Friday, with her husband of 65 years, Bud, by her side. She was 86.
Mary Jane was born in Rampart, Alaska on Sept. 4, 1933, on a brisk fall day at the peak of the silver salmon season. She was born into a subsistence life on the Yukon River, living with her family in tents in the winter during trapping season, fishing to survive in the summers. "We had to follow the animals. The whole goal of life was just to survive," Mary Jane once said.
Mary Jane had a deep love for the land, her Athabascan culture, and the Alaska Native people.
Overcoming adversity at a young age, she understood the significance of cultural support and community involvement. She devoted her life and worked tirelessly to improve all aspects of Alaska Natives' lives - especially young people through education - and she became one of the most beloved, inspirational statewide leaders who founded and served on a remarkable number of organizations. She personally touched and raised up countless young lives by getting them involved, encouraging them, and helping them to believe in themselves.
After graduating from BIA Mt. Edgecumbe Boarding High School in 1952, Mary Jane became one of the first Alaska Native women to attend college at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. In 1953, while running as a contestant for Miss Alaska, she met the love of her life, Hugh "Bud" Fate, a young roughneck who had worked on the oil rigs in Umiat before being drafted into the Army during the Korean War. He proposed while they were moose hunting and they were married in 1954 at St. Matthew's Church in Fairbanks. Together, they raised their family, built a dental practice, commercial and subsistence fished at their Yukon River fish camp, became involved in statewide politics, and helped build their community and state. They were the ultimate team, providing dental services to rural villages together, even serving on the UAF Board of Regents for a combined 24 years, both earning Honorary Doctorates later from UAF. Their home was always bustling with love and activity, and open to so many dear cousins who lived there and who became a beloved part of the family, too.
Mary Jane was a trailblazer; she lived a lifetime of firsts. She was one of the few women who successfully lobbied Congress for the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. She was the first president of her ANCSA village corporation - Baan o Yeel Kon - and served on that board for 40 years in every role. She helped found the Tundra Times newspaper and with her husband, the Fairbanks Native Association. She was the first woman co-chair of the Alaska Federation of Natives; the first Alaska Native woman to serve on the Alaska Judicial Council; the first Native appointed by the President to the U.S. Arctic Research Commission; and was president and founding member of the North American Indian Women's Association. She cofounded the Breast Cancer Detection Center and in 1998, received a Presidential award for her work to bring mammograms to rural Alaska.
Mary Jane had an infectious smile and positive approach to all she did. A natural businesswoman with an incredible judge of character and instinct for customers, she had a detailed eye for deal points. She rose in the ranks at Wien Airlines and later became the first woman and one of the longest serving board members on the Alaska Airlines corporate board - for 25 years.
Mary Jane received many honors for her tireless work, including Doyon's Citizen of the Year in 2012, AFN's Citizen of the Year and Public Service awards in 2012 and the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame in 2014. In all these years as a leader and advocate, she led purely from her heart and with love for her state and its people.
But most important to Mary Jane, was her role of mother and grandmother to her three daughters, cousins and 12 grandchildren, whom she loved fiercely, played countless hours of "Snerts" with, taught them her knowledge of Athabascan culture every summer at fish camp, and always showed by example how to live life with kindness and service to others.
She made each of her family feel deeply loved and included in her mission, often saying "I love you with all my heart and all my soul" and sharing stories of her parents and grandparents surviving and always working together. She carried these values into everything she did and taught her family these values. The strength of her compassion was compounded in the love she had for her husband, Bud, and the love he had for her. Theirs was a true love story, forged in mutual respect and shared vision, and founded on deep empathy for each other's lives. When dancing together, the entire room would stop and circle them, just to watch the magic of Mary Jane and Bud. Their energy together sparkled, and whoever knew them felt their love expand and encompass everyone around them.
Mary Jane is survived by her husband of 65 years, former State Rep. Hugh "Bud" Fate; her three daughters, Janine Avner (Correy), Jennifer Velaise (Jean Louis) and Julie Sullivan (Dan); cousins, Alfred Woods and Dorothy Woods Shockley; grandchildren, Barrett, Janna, Alex, Ben, Theo, Meghan, Isabella, Laurel, Hallie, Amanda, Justin and Trenton; sisters, Alice Phillips (Norman) and Lilly Evans; and her 15 nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly; as well as so many cousins including all the Woods, Evans, Phillips, Lincoln, Bishop, Merry, Mallott, Taylor, Purdue and Beetus families who were so close to her heart. She was preceded in death by her parents, Thomas G. Evans, Jr. (Rampart) and Sally Woods Evans Hudson (Manley), as well as her younger brother, Thomas G. Evans of Reno, Nevada.
With deepest appreciation, the family especially thanks the wonderful caregivers at Denali Center for the kindness and tender care they provided Mary Jane as she battled Alzheimer's - and for their support of Bud during this time.
Mary Jane's true passion was helping young people, especially empowering them with education. In lieu of flowers, please consider contributing in Mary Jane's memory to the following education scholarships:
"The Baan O Yeel Kon Corporation Scholarship Account" at Baan O Yeel Kon Corporation, P.O. Box 74381, Fairbanks, AK 99707; if questions please call 907-456-6259.
"The Mary Jane and Hugh Fate Leadership Fund" at Doyon Foundation, 615 Bidwell Ave., Suite 101, Fairbanks, AK 99701. Please note "Fate Leadership Scholarship" in the memo line.
Funeral and potlatch arrangements will be forthcoming. To post a memory of Mary Jane, please go to www.legacyalaska.com.