Delbert Lee Ferrier (1939-2023)
Delbert (Del) Lee Ferrier (83), passed away at Alaska Regional Hospital on January 17, 2023 after a progressive decline due to Alzheimer’s disease.
Del was the eldest child and only son of Marion Alberta (nee) Rasmusson and Basil (Red) Lee Ferrier, and was born June 28, 1939 in the northwestern Minnesota county of Lake of the Woods, in what is now the ghost town of Pitt.
Soon after Del’s birth, the newlyweds left their families and farm life behind traveling west for better prospects. Stopping in Washington for a short time, they continued north to Alaska and landed in the Sutton area, where they lived in the now abandoned town of Jonesville, where Red worked as a coal miner through the end of WWII.
Around 1945 Red decided to try his hand at his longtime dream of becoming a fisherman, so Marion, and her then three children, stayed on Latouche Island until 1947, when the whole family settled for good in what is now Old Town Valdez.
After graduating from Valdez High School in 1958, Del enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving a two-year stint overseas. Upon returning home to Alaska he pursued mechanics, worked on the docks as a longshoreman, was a North Slope truck driver, Kodiak crabber, Prince William Sound commercial halibut and herring fisherman, and had a long run seining. In addition, Del worked on the Trans Alaska Pipeline, the Valdez city dock harbor and worked for Alyeska during and after the Exxon oil spill.
Del restored, owned, and served aboard many boats throughout his long life. Perhaps most notable was The Falcon, aboard which he and his father rode out the nearly 100-foot tidal wave caused by the 1964 Good Friday earthquake, and was the only vessel that made it back into town after the disaster struck. For the rest of his life Del lived with the reminder of that day fresh in his mind and had constant feelings of guilt for having “somehow survived” when 32 people in his hometown alone were killed.
Del was a character. Those who knew him well say he was an old-school “salty dog”. He was outspoken, drove fast, played Elvis too loud, and was sometimes relentless in his teasing. Alternatively, he was at his best when around children and when he was out on the water.
Around 2010, Del was diagnosed with Neuro-Cognitive Disorder and began showing the early stages of dementia most likely brought on by multiple head traumas throughout his life, ultimately leading to Alzheimer’s disease. In 2018 he moved into the Anchorage Pioneer Home where he lived out the remainder of his days flirting with the ladies and giving staff and visitors all kinds of “hell”.
Preceded in death by his mother, his father, Fern West (his maternal aunt) and her family, and many friends from old and new Valdez alike, Del is survived by his three sisters (the girls): Kathy Laneville; Diane Kolaitis; and Hazel Hogan and their respective families. Del is also preceded in death by his long-time flame: Emmila A. (nee) Spires (Moudy) Denny and survived by her son from a previous marriage, Kirk E. Carey, as well as Del’s only child Jayme Leah Spires Moudy-Ferrier and her son Raven B. Ferrier-Ballou, who is the last to carry the Valdez Ferrier’s family name.
All are welcome to attend the church service and potluck reception planned to celebrate the life of Delbert L. Ferrier
June 28, 2023:
Memorial service - St Francis Xavier Catholic Church (12:30-1:30pm)
Graveside burial service - Valdez Cemetery (3-4pm) *Family only
After burial reception – Potluck reception at Elks Lodge No. 2537 (5-7pm)
**Flowers, donations, potluck items and/or help with events would be greatly appreciated or in lieu of flowers, etc. please make a donation in the Ferrier name to The Valdez Museum: www.valdezmuseum.org; (907) 835-2764
***For further information or ways to help, please call: (907) 903-0624
