Carl "Vinnie" "Van" Novak
Sep 1, 1954 -
May 30, 2026
Carl Vance Novak, "Vinnie" or "Van," passed away on May 30, 2026, at 71 years old. Van was born on Sept. 1, 1954, in Clarks Point to Anna Louise Thiele and Henry Shade. In 1960, his mother married Stephen Novak, who adopted Van and enthusiastically and whole-heartedly raised him and the rest of the family in Anchorage, Alaska. Van graduated from Dimond High School in 1972, and attended Anchorage Community College. Talented and hard-working, he began working as a commercial fisherman with his uncle Carl Thiele's family, as an architectural draftsman, and then framer and construction worker. For a while he ran his own framing company, "Vinnie Construction." In 2002, he began working with West Construction, specializing in heavy construction projects including docks, bridges and airports. When West was bought by Orion Marine Group, he continued with them until his illness and passing. His work took him across the state of Alaska, including Dutch Harbor, Grayling, Fairbanks, Wainwright, Juneau, Yakutat, Whittier - and a stint beyond Alaska, in Iraq! - and finally Ketchikan, where he met his wife, Yvonne Stanley Novak, in 2014, when building the dock there. A very special love, they married on his birthday, Sept. 1, 2021, making that day even more meaningful.
Though their years together were far too few, they were filled with love, laughter, friendship and dreams for the future.
Besides leaving his mark on things like the Nenana River bridge in Fairbanks, the Tudor Overpass - used by pedestrians and dog sled teams - and docks, a seafood plant and a baseball field in Dutch Harbor, he was generous with his time and talents when family and friends needed a deck, entry steps, a smoke house, roof repair and heck, a whole second story on his sister's house! Van will always be remembered for his generosity, enthusiasm, his big, big laugh and his endless supply of funny stories and the ability to make everything fun.
He is survived by his wife, Yvonne; stepson, Zachary Stanley; lookalike kids, Victoria Novak (Matthew Stiles) and Ken Stevens; granddaughter, Anastasia Stiles; grandson, Zander Stanley; father, Steve Novak; sisters, Louise Gail Novak, Stephanie Wood and Kathy Burgoyne (Curt Burgoyne); sister-in-law, Susan Novak; and many nieces, nephews and cousins in Alaska and in the Lower 48.
Growing up, Van filled the home with laughter and music - drums, flute, harmonica, whistling and especially his tenor sax. Always kind of outrageous, water fights sometimes moved indoors, and raw eggs got dyed and smuggled into the rest of the Easter eggs, with predictable and messy results.
Van chose a life filled with adventure. He helped his dad build cabins, hunted and fished, explored and combed beaches for treasures, and was a talented photographer and cook. He was an avid collector of so many cool things, including but not limited to coins, old bottles and cans, rocks, old egg beaters, guns and Wien Airlines memorabilia. He absolutely loved riding his Harley Davidson motorcycles and flying his red Super Cub.
Van is predeceased by his mother, Louise Novak; Henry Shade; sister, Joyce Shade; brother, Henry Novak; stepdaughter, Ciera Stanley; numerous aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins.
If you knew Van/Vinnie, come share food, gratitude for and stories about this outrageous, larger-than-life, amazing man on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, at 2 p.m., at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, 8100 Arctic Boulevard in Anchorage.
