David Merchant

Sep 27, 1953 -

Jun 8, 2020

David Merchant, age 66, passed away on June 8, 2020, at Providence Alaska Medical Center. He is survived and will be remembered by a loving daughter, family, in-laws, niece, nephews and a host of longtime friends. He was preceded in death by his parents.

David was always there for his daughter Amanda. A loving and tentative dad. He always had a plethora amount of advice to share, even when not solicited; this was mostly appreciated by the ones closest to him. He spent many hours in the kitchen cooking and enjoyed sharing a good meal with his family. His family will miss the hearty conversations they had with him over the years.

David had a true passion for his work in the Cath Lab that very few people experience throughout their career. He started his training as a Cath Lab technician in the military. He continued and earned a business degree so he could manage the Cath Lab from ground up when the new Cath Lab was being built in the Mat-Su Valley. He applied and got the position and enjoyed his work there. David, again, wanted the opportunity to do more in the Cath Lab so he went back to school and earned his nursing degree, RN, in 2013. He continued to work in the Cath Lab until he retired due to health issues. David made a host of friends while working in the Cath Lab, many of them, along with his family, carried him through his most difficult times while he struggled with his health.

The first time David traveled to Alaska was with his dad, a cross-country trip from Florida to Alaska. A trip he treasured. David enjoyed living in Alaska and the outdoors, hunting, fishing and camping. His most memorable hunting trip was for moose with his good friend Eric. David also enjoyed the hobby gold panning. He often shared this story: on an outing, gold panning, a train full of tourists passed by and all the tourists were pointing, waving and smiling at him. He thought, they think I am the real deal. David was the real deal to the people in his life.

David was cremated at Cremation Society of Alaska. His ashes will be spread over Portage Glacier when his family and friends can once again be together to celebrate his life. The place and time will be announced at a later date.