Erik Leo Kristensen, 69, died Feb. 23, 2009, at his home in Ninilchik.A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, May 2, 2009, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Maxine’s Glacier City Bistro, .3 Mile Crow Creek Road, in Girdwood, Alaska. His ashes will be scattered in Alaska.
Erik was born Oct. 4, 1939, in Vrensted, Denmark to Emma Christensen and Daniel Sorensen. Growing up in Denmark he worked on farms, enjoyed playing soccer and handball, and served in the Danish military. He moved to the United States in 1960, where he joined his father and family in North Dakota. There he apprenticed under his father to become a plumber, enjoyed hunting and fishing, and learned to fly.
Erik moved to Alaska in 1967, where he lived and worked in towns and villages through out the state. He made Girdwood his primary home for more than 35 years. He spent the majority of his career working in the construction trades as a pipe-fitter, plumber, and as a talented designer and builder. He also pursued a variety of other interests, such as boat building and commercial fishing. He enjoyed flying his airplane, going out in his boat, hunting, fishing, beachcombing, and taking long walks with his dogs. A fiercely independent man, Erik loved exploring Alaska and relished telling stories about the places he had been and the people he had met.
Erik was always seen wearing his signature welding cap and was never without his dogs. He was an avid pool, poker, and cribbage player, and enjoyed a good wager. He was intelligent and well read. He liked to putter in the garden and watch birds at his birdfeeders. He always made time to sit with a friend and share a story or a joke. He loved to visit and laugh with friends while having ‘tall drinks’ and eating good food. His adventures, variety of interests, distinctive sense of humor, and story-telling skills combined to make him a true character. His friends remember him as a generous and compassionate person, a good friend who will be greatly missed.
He is survived by his sister and her husband, Chris and Steve Lunn of Bismarck, ND; his nephew, Jeremy Lunn of San Francisco, CA; his stepmother, Gladys Sorensen of Bismarck, ND; his border collie, Zoe; and many good friends spread from Denmark to Alaska.