Sverre Pedersen

1947 - 2025

Sverre Pedersen died peacefully of natural causes in his home on July 12, 2025, at the age of 77. He will be remembered for his calm presence and his observant, dry sense of humor. He will also be remembered for his dedication to his family and learning about and experiencing the natural world.

Sverre was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on Oct. 5, 1947, to Einar Sverre Pedersen and Evy Maria (Westerborg) Pedersen. Sverre grew up splitting his time between Trondheim, Norway, and Stockholm, and traveled the world with his father, who was an aviator and polar navigator. These expeditions led him to, among many other places, Svalbard, Antarctica, Japan, Australia, Portugal and Thailand. In 1963, he came with his father to spend a year in Anchorage, Alaska, where he attended high school and explored the state. He counted this year as a memorable one in his life; one, because it started a lifelong fascination with and appreciation for Alaska, and two, because in the spring of 1964, he had broken his leg in a skiing accident and was crutching around Fourth Avenue when the Good Friday Earthquake struck. He had to hobble his way out of a building that was sinking into the ground.

As a young person in Scandinavia, Sverre was an early fan of the Rolling Stones, and saw them many times in concert in the 1960s. He had a small motorcycle and would drive around the countryside, fishing and camping with friends, and spent one adventurous summer on Svalbard working on an offshore oil exploration rig. Sverre returned to Alaska in 1969 to attend the University of Alaska Fairbanks. His arrival in January was one of the classic stories he shared with his children; the temperature in Fairbanks was 50 below zero, and the fashionable European vinyl trench coat he was wearing at the time soon cracked in the cold.

In 1972, Sverre graduated from the University of Alaska Fairbanks with his Bachelor of Science in wildlife management. In 1973, he met his future wife, Grace Frances (Routzahn) Pedersen, in UAF's Wood Center building. Sverre and Grace shared a love for the outdoors; hunting and berry picking, dog mushing, canoeing, and hiking in Interior Alaska. They married in 1975 and soon started a family at their home on Jennifer Drive in the Goldstream Valley. They built a life rooted in love of family and nature; some favorite areas to spend time were on Murphy Dome and the Denali Highway.

He completed his Master of Science in zoology in 1978, and in 1979 he began his career with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game in the Subsistence Division. Sverre became a United States citizen in 1985. Throughout his career, Sverre served as the lead social science researcher in the Arctic region, partnering with communities to document the traditional harvest and use patterns of wildlife resources across the Seward Peninsula and the North Slope.

Sverre contributed to foundational research pertaining to the subsistence use of muskox and the state's early understanding of how fundamental the Western Arctic Caribou Herd is to people across the Arctic region. His curiosity, reverence for Inupiat culture, and relatable good humor helped him make many friends and have many memorable adventures throughout his career.

In 2006, Sverre traveled to Rovaniemi, Finland, as a Fulbright Scholar with the Arctic Center at the University of Lapland to study sustainable development across Indigenous communities in Arctic regions. He retired in 2013 to spend more time with his family and his German Shorthair dog, Jago.

Sverre was a dedicated father to his three children, Solveig, Maja, and Nils. He went to great lengths to accommodate their interests, including building a new family home closer to Fairbanks in 1990, and eventually phasing out of dog mushing so that he could learn to coach soccer for Nils' team, the Flaming Lizards Soccer Club. Sverre shared his love of being on the land with his children and took them on many outdoor adventures. Importantly, he always had a frozen Snickers bar (his "survival food") and a thermos of hot chocolate in his backpack for a mid-journey treat.

He modeled curiosity, a balanced perspective, care for the earth, and devotion to those he loved. In retirement, he could often be found with a cup of coffee and a book in hand, or out walking trails with his beloved wife, Grace, and their dogs, Abby, Jago, and Jake. Sverre experienced dementia in the final years of his life, and after Grace died in 2023, he was supported by his children to live out his remaining years in his home. He took daily walks on the Goldstream Valley trails with his kids, grandkids, and dogs, where he continued to enjoy the landscape and fresh air. He kept this routine up until the day he died.

Sverre is predeceased by his wife; his parents; his stepmother, Ingrid Pedersen; and his brother, Einar Sverre Pedersen, Jr. He is survived by his children, Solveig, Maja (Graham Worley-Hood) and Nils (Lisbet Norris); his granddaughters, Kai Pedersen and Astoria St. Pierre; as well as his brother, Gunnar (Shayla) Pedersen. A memorial service for Sverre will be held at a future date. Contact Solveig Pedersen at sol.pedersen@gmail.com for more details.