Robert Ray Utter
May 29, 1943 -
Oct 8, 2020
Robert Ray Utter passed on Oct. 29, 2020, at age 86, in Santa Rosa, Calif., in the company of loved ones. He had lived a full life – born on May 29, 1943, in a log cabin on Pinkham Creek, in Eureka, Mont., to Winnie Mae and Cecil Lorn Utter. He grew up in Eureka, and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1952. While in school he logged with his father and older brother. After graduation, he worked with the Forest Service. Some of his favorite memories were his time spent on fire lookouts in the mountains of Montana.
He met his partner and wife, Pauline Held, in Eureka. She was headed to Boston in the fall of 1959, but Ray managed to convince her to return from Boston to attend college in Montana, and they were married on Oct. 10, 1959, in Butte, Mont.
Their loving and productive partnership lasted 46 years and included: raising three children with the birth of Lisa, Karla and Robert in the early 1960s; 28 moves, many homes with frequent guests; active participation in the politics and activities of the many communities they live in; and thousands of miles traveled for work, fun and great outdoor adventures including skiing, camping, canoeing and sailing.
After Ray graduated from the Montana School of Mines, he was admitted to MIT, so the couple moved to Boston, where they stayed for a year.
Ray joined Lane-Wells Drilling Service after school, and worked with that company as it morphed into Dresser Atlas and later Halliburton until his retirement in the early 2000s. Later he consulted with Baker Hughes. He spent his early years in the industry reading logs on wells as a petrochemical engineer, and later as an area manager for the North Sea and Western U.S. The industry moved the family often, and they lived in Alaska, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and later in the Netherlands, England and Scotland.
Ray first came to Alaska to attend the University of Alaska Fairbanks in the 1950s. The state and its wilderness had a special place in his heart from then on. The family returned to Alaska in 1967 for several years, and again in 1978, eventually returning for good in 1985. When he was transferred to Europe from Alaska in the 1970s, he greatly missed the wilderness of the American West and the Last Frontier. Like many Alaskans he decided to forego the worst of Alaska winters the last few years.
Ray was a true lover of the outdoors. It was his interest in protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Area that instigated the creation of Alaskans for Better Media (ABM) in 1978. The fallout of ABM's challenging media licenses led to Ray being transferred to Europe.
During Ray and Pauline's years in Europe they sent all three children off to college and indulged their common interests in literature, theater and extensive travel.
Along with being a lifelong birder, Ray loved poetry, literature and history.
He was a longtime member of the Petroleum Club, the Captain Cook Athletic Club and the State Democratic Party. In 2006, he ran for a seat in the legislature representing south Anchorage.
After the death of his wife, Pauline, Ray found companionship and a kindred spirit with Eileen Lally Lund. They were intrepid adventurers, traveling to Africa, Europe and many states while sharing books, good times and homes together. He was lucky to find two smart, strong, loving women in his life.
Ray was preceded in death by his wife; his parents; and his two siblings. He is survived by his three children, Karla Utter of Alaska and Wash., Robert (Susan) Utter of Texas and Colo., and Lisa (Eric) Utter of Wash.; four grandchildren, Dawn, Terran (Angie), James and Renee; great-grandchildren, Dean, Lucas and Jax; and Eileen, his companion of the last decade.
His family would like to thank Allison Gomez, whose tender care allowed him to travel, avoid COVID-19, and die at home as he wished.
Due to COVID-19, the family is postponing burial of his ashes in Eureka, and a celebration of his life until next year.
His family asks that people spend a moment enjoying the great outdoors with Ray in mind, and if you would like to honor his memory - give to the Alaska Conservation Foundation or the ACLU of Alaska.
