Obituary for Arthur Mannix

Arthur Mannix died at home in Talkeetna, Alaska, on July 2, 2023. Born to Dr. Arthur and Mary Lou Mannix, he was the oldest son of eleven children. His young life included camping, alpine skiing, and sailing on Long Island Sound in a small boat he shared with a pet raccoon he rescued.

Arthur majored in zoology at the University of New Hampshire. During college, he lived in a handsewn dome tent he set up on the land of Evelyn Browne, daughter of famed artist and Alaska explorer Belmore Browne. With his brother and friends, he hiked 1,000 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail, attempting Mt. Rainier and climbing in Yosemite. After completing college, Arthur hitchhiked out west to climb.

He arrived in Alaska in 1978, where he made the first ascent of Grendel Spire in the Cathedral Spires with his brother and a friend and put his climbing skills to use in the logging industry. Arthur summited Denali multiple times as a guide; climbed the west face of Kahiltna Queen; and made the first winter ascent of Mt. Sanford, sleeping in snow caves and eating wild game.

He met his wife, Karen, in Wrangell, and they eventually settled in Talkeetna. In 1981, Arthur lead a rescue of plane crash victims on the Peters Glacier during a December blizzard. In January, he and Karen salvaged the plane with two companions and skied from 10,000’ on Denali to Talkeetna.

Arthur and his brother started Top Notch Logbuilders. Their quality craftsmanship can be seen throughout Alaska and includes the renovation of Don Sheldon’s airplane hangar (now the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar) in Talkeetna and an addition on Jay and Bella Hammond’s Lake Clark home.

Arthur and Karen raised two wonderful children, Tazlina and Ian, in their off-grid home. The family hiked, rafted, skied, and cycled on many adventures, from the Arctic to Prince William Sound. He and Karen introduced hundreds of people to cross-country skiing through the Denali Nordic Ski Club and created a junior Nordic program for local youth. Arthur and his brother brought the Oosik Classic Ski Race to Talkeetna and worked tirelessly to create a widely used community trail system.

Arthur read extensively about history, anthropology, geology, and biology and was an outspoken defender of wilderness. He authored marvelous essays and was an enthusiastic storyteller, a devoted father and husband, and a genuine friend. Arthur is survived by his wife, daughter, son, ten siblings and their spouses, a large extended family, and friends the world over. A celebration of life will be held in Talkeetna on September 15. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Arthur Mannix Memorial Fund.

To hear any of Arthur’s contributions to KTNA, search in your browser using this link: https://ktna.org/?s=arthur+mannix