Richard Kern

Aug 17, 1950 -

Dec 24, 2022

Alaskan Richard Phillip Murphy Kern, 72, died of natural causes at 1:53 p.m., on Dec. 24, 2022, in Providence Hospital, Anchorage, Alaska. Cremated with Evergreen Funeral Home in Anchorage. Richard was born on Aug. 17, 1950, in Porterville, Calif., the oldest of three children born to Frank and Shirlee Kern.

Richard and Debra married in Anchorage, and together had five children and belonged to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Richard was an aquatic superintendent and park ranger with MOA for 15 years. He started Kern's Jetboat Impeller & Propeller Repair, rebuilding impellers and propellers. Setting up booths at Sullivan Arena and Sportsman boat shows were highlights of the year.

He built Kern kids a recreational add-on, including a synthetic ice rink, conducting Kern's Hockey School and held team practices. He was a dedicated hockey coach for family and others. Four sons played competitive hockey: Joshua Kern went on play with the St. Louis Blues, and currently owns Kern Hockey, training and coaching players and teams between youth-NHL levels for the past 29 years. Rich taught swimming lessons at the family's Alaska School Swimming pool, provided a basketball court and included snowcone, soft-serve ice cream and theater popcorn.

Richard loved to barbecue and smoke meats and salmon. There will never be a day the family will not miss the fun activities from growing up; family fishing trips in airboat and jetboat, including chartering Little Susitna and Deshka rivers. The family raised and bred English mastiffs, including Griz, brindle mastiff title champion weight puller at Anchorage Fur Rendezvous. Rich excelled in putting mastiffs on special diets, obedience and weight training, and building weight training sleds, a favorite activity for the Kern kids.

Richard survived by ex-wife, Debra; son, Joshua and daughter-in-law Taylor, Jacob, Jesse and Sabrina; grandchildren, Marquis, Kylie, Olivia, Mia, Taye, Crew, Kaia and Noah; Melissa Erickson and son Jared; ex-wife, Dee Olin and daughter TG; grandchildren, Patrick, Balin, Daveon and Chazz; and sisters, Kally Elton and Kelly Kern. Preceded in death by father, Frank Kern; mother, Shirlee Powell; father-in-law, Frank Parchman; mother-in-law, Jimmie Parchman; son, Jason Kern; and daughter, Sabrina by Dee Olin.