1949-2024
40 year resident of Valdez, Ken Fulcher passed away unexpectedly on February 15, 2024. Born on August 28, 1949 to parents Truman Fulcher and Mary Louise Chartier in Munising, MI, Ken spent his childhood on the shore of Lake Superior with his 10 siblings in a room surrounded by his father’s radio equipment. The youngest of seven sons, Ken skipped an inevitable draft notice and enlisted in the army to serve his country in Vietnam upon graduation from Munising High School. Not one for school, Ken showed an aptitude for working with his hands and all things mechanical. He rode that aptitude through tests he always said he “had no business passing” and was given a Military Occupational Specialty as a uh-1 “Huey” helicopter mechanic.
After the war, Ken traveled Europe before returning to Michigan to pursue an art degree in pottery. The degree went unfinished but his family continues to use and enjoy some of his best work. A jack of all trades, Ken did pottery and maintenance for his good friend Terry Lundbom’s candle company in Christmas, Michigan. He then dabbled in roofing before moving to Valdez, Alaska in 1982 with his then wife Karen Ouellette, also from Munising. When asked by his children why Alaska, Ken always responded, “It’s the only place I’d consider leaving Michigan for!”
In Valdez, he began as a cook for the Harborview Developmental Center, advancing to head chef, before leaving to care for his two children full time. In 2002 Ken earned his Associate of Applied Science in “Industrial Technology and Oil Spill Response” from Prince William Sound Community College and had a fulfilling career with Interek Caleb Brett at Valdez Marine Terminal and traveling to terminals from the Aleutian Islands to California, gauging the loading of crude oil onto tankers for two decades. Never one to complain or shirk his duty on the job, Ken once famously drove himself to the hospital after suffering a heart attack at work. His family and coworkers never let him live that one down.
Aside from his family, Alaska was Ken’s great love and one he was unwilling to leave behind, no matter the yearly snowfall. His younger days were spent hunting, fishing, snowmachining, woodworking and lending his talents to the community. Notably, helping get KCHU public radio station off the ground. Ken was only a few years into enjoying his retirement when he passed but he made the most of it, always looking for excuses to see his grandkids in Anchorage, volunteering for Connecting Ties and in his local chapters of the Fraternal Order of the Eagles and the Elks Lodge.
Ken is survived by his children Kaela Wheeler and Kelvan Fulcher, their respective spouses Mark and Chrissy and his seven beloved grandchildren. He leaves behind a legacy of showing love with deeds and few words, community service, and the ability to see God’s hand in the beautiful world around us all. He will be buried at the Fort Richardson National Cemetery with military honors in the spring.
Ken’s family invites you to think of him whenever you encounter black licorice (his favorite) or catch a Lion’s game. If you knew Ken and would like to honor his memory, please consider a donation to Connecting Ties or Clear Path for Veterans.
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