Dan Elliott

Sep 18, 1944 -

Dec 21, 2024

Dan Elliott of Wasilla, Alaska, 80, died unexpectedly on Dec. 21, 2024, at Mat-Su Regional Hospital.

Daniel Bartlett Elliott II was born on Sept. 18, 1944, in Cadillac, Mich., to Bart and Alda Elliott. He attended the Delbarton School in Morristown, N.J., earned bachelor's and master's degrees in English from St. John's and Johns Hopkins Universities and taught at the University of Wyoming before coming to Alaska in 1969. He worked as a commercial fisherman in Ketchikan and the Bering Sea; in the Laborers' Union on construction of the trans-Alaska pipeline, cleanup of the Exxon Valdez disaster, and other projects; and became a respected expert in the cultivation of apple trees in Alaska, participating in studies with the University of Alaska and speaking throughout the state. For a major period of his life, Dan lived in a log cabin he built north of Talkeetna, where he raised a family, working seasonally in the Laborers' Union and as a Master Guide. He was a person of quiet breadth: in one lifetime, an English professor and construction worker, a trapper and seminarian, active in his local parish and community boards but preferring to avoid attention, 6'5" and massively strong but happiest, in the latter part of his life, grafting apple trees or coaxing laughter from his granddaughter.

He is survived by his wife, Marian Elliott; son, William Elliott; daughter-in-law, Sarah Sjostedt; granddaughter, Lane Elliott; sisters, Patricia Orlich and Maureen Hook; brother, Fred Elliott; and the many friends touched by his kindness.

A viewing will be held from 4-8 p.m., on Jan. 3, 2025, at Legacy Funeral Homes, 1015 S Check Street in Wasilla. His funeral service will be held at 10 a.m., on Jan. 4, 2025, at Sacred Heart Parish, 1201 Bogard Road in Wasilla, with a reception thereafter.