| Graduation Year | Class of 1972 |
| Date of Passing | Nov 21, 2015 |
| About | Lifelong Alaskan, loving husband, proud father, dear brother and great lifelong friend Carl Woodrow Johansen passed away unexpectedly Nov. 21, 2015, one day after his 62nd birthday. Carl was born in Valdez to Carolyn and Woodrow Johansen, their third child. The family moved to Fairbanks in January 1955 where Carl lived until moving to Anchorage in 2010. Carl grew up at the family home on the banks of the Chena River. Here he spent countless hours exploring the outdoors and fishing. He graduated from Lathrop High School in 1972 and went on to attend the University of Alaska, studying civil engineering and business. During the pipeline construction boom of the 1970s, Carl worked as a grade checker, equipment operator and truck driver. His experience on the pipeline eventually led him to a 30-year career with Sourdough Fuel, where he drove truck, worked as dispatcher and, relying on his good looks, starred in numerous television commercials. Carl began curling in high school, became an accomplished curler and was an active member of the Fairbanks Curling Club for many years. He competed annually in the Fairbanks International Bonspiel - winning several - and curled numerous times in the U.S. National Curling Championships representing Alaska. It was at the Curling Club where he met his beloved wife of 20 years, Jerry. Carl cherished his daughters. Lisa was born in 1982 to Carl and his first wife, Yulanda. In 1996, Carl and Jerry welcomed Claire to the world. He made sack lunches every day for 28 years. Carl shared his abundant love of reading, sports, Alaska, cookies, and laughter with his daughters. He wished for nothing more than the happiness of his girls. He was the perfect father. From an early age, Carl was a bird hunter. He learned by ground sluicing grouse with his dad and brothers along the Nenana and Elliott highways. As he grew, he developed a love of duck hunting, first with his uncle, Carl, and brothers at Linder Lake and later with lifelong friends at Healy Lake, where he spent more than 35 Septembers. This coming summer his ashes will be spread on Healy Lake. Carl is survived by Jerry, Lisa and Claire; his siblings, Martha, Tony (Gail) and John (Cheri); numerous nieces and nephews, many lifelong friends, and his two dogs, Kana and Max. He was preceded in death by his parents. |
