Passings: Curtis Green, Alaska family man, businessman, civic activist

Curtis Glen Green, Jr. passed away peacefully on May 2, 2026, in Soldotna, Alaska, surrounded by his loving family.

Curtis was born in Lovington, New Mexico, to Curtis Glen Green, Sr. and Esther Marie (Schuster) Green. An only child, he was raised in New Mexico and Texas and graduated from Española High School in 1955.

At just 17 years old, Curtis set out on what would become the defining adventure of his life. Immediately after graduation, he and his parents drove the Alaska Highway to begin a new chapter in the Last Frontier. What began as a tentative move to what was still a territory — “if we didn’t find work, we’d call it a vacation,” he later recalled — quickly became permanent. From his earliest days in Alaska, including working the Russian River ferry, Curtis embraced the spirit of the state that would shape the rest of his life.

Curtis attended Texas Tech University, earning a degree in civil engineering in 1960. He began his career with Texas Pipeline Company in Houston, Texas, and Lafayette, Louisiana. Later, he would obtain a master’s degree in arctic engineering from the University of Alaska.

On April 1, 1961, he married the love of his life, Lyda Nell Handley, in Mexico City. Not long after they married, Curtis told Lyda he missed Alaska. In 1962, they returned north, where he joined the US Army Corps of Engineers. The couple lived in Spenard when the 1964 Good Friday earthquake struck. It was an event they would never forget.

Their family grew with the birth of their son, Brad, in Anchorage in 1965. Curtis later worked for Bechtel, moving the family to California and then to Africa, where their daughter, Kristie, was born in Zambia in 1967. After returning to Alaska in 1968, Curtis worked as a hydrologist with the US Weather Bureau (Now US Weather Service), traveling extensively across the state.

From 1962 to 1984, Curtis was deeply involved in Anchorage civic life. He was active in the Mt. McKinley Lions Club, the Miners and Trappers Ball, Central Lutheran Church, and later First Baptist Church. He volunteered with the ski patrol at Arctic Valley and Alyeska. Curtis co-founded the Alaska Youth Tennis Foundation and was a co-owner of the Anchorage Racquet Club. In true Alaskan style, he obtained his private pilot’s license, enjoying seeing Alaska’s remotest parts, winning awards at the Valdez fly-in, and flying cross-country to Wisconsin for the Oshkosh air show.

In 1970, Curtis began what he would later describe as the “best job” of his life: a long career with State Farm. Over 46 years, he served as an agent, agency manager for the state of Alaska, and later returned to personal agency work before retiring in 2016. In 1976, Curtis and Lyda welcomed their third child, Shelton.

In 1984, Curtis and Lyda moved to Wasilla, where they became pillars of the growing community. He served as president of the Mat-Su Amateur Hockey Association, was active in Rotary, and taught and led at First Baptist Churches in Wasilla and Willow. Twice, he completed the Iron Dog Race, the world’s longest and toughest snowmobile race, and served as the organization’s president.

In 1994, Curtis also became Lyda’s strongest supporter and closest confidante during her 14 years in the Alaska State Senate.

After retirement, the couple returned to Texas in 2016 to reconnect with family and roots, but Alaska continued to call them home. Curtis and Lyda returned to Alaska in 2023. After Lyda’s passing in December 2023, Curtis spent his remaining years in Soldotna surrounded by family.

Curtis will be remembered for his steady presence, his quiet strength, and his unwavering kindness. He was known for never complaining, for always having a twinkle in his eye, and for offering a joke, a pun, or a warm word to those around him. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was a natural leader, mentor, and friend.

He and Lyda were known for their generous hospitality, opening their home to friends, family, and community. Their annual lakeside gatherings became cherished traditions, where Curtis could be found at the grill, launching the potato gun, or taking children on golf cart rides and out on the water. His children remember early mornings with a warmed-up car ready for practice and his grandchildren remember snow machine rides and Saturday morning sourdough pancakes.

Curtis was preceded in death by his parents and his beloved wife, Lyda.

He is survived by son Brad (Dianne) Green of Jackson, Tennessee; daughter Kristie (Tuckerman) Babcock of Soldotna, Alaska; and son Shelton (Heather) Green of Austin, Texas. He is also survived by his grandchildren Kelsie (Joshua) Edgren, Cori, Noah (Treava), Jiabao, and Meijan Leaf; Caleb, Daniel (Serena), and Victoria Green; Everly, Sutton, and Anderson Green; step-grandchildren Ali-K (Ben) Packa, Teddy (Alyssa) Babcock, and Balin (Jackie) Babcock; and 19 great-grandchildren, all of whom brought him immense joy.

A service will be held on May 24, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at College Heights Baptist Church in Soldotna, Alaska, with a reception to follow at the Babcock home, 36815 Hakala Drive, Soldotna, AK 99669. Cards may be sent to the same address.

Curtis lived a full and adventurous life, marked by faith, family, and a deep love for Alaska. His legacy will live on in the lives he touched and the family he cherished.