Edward Eugene Carney

Dec 14, 1931 -

Sep 6, 2022

Well-known former Wasilla, Alaska, resident Edward Eugene Carney passed away quietly at his home in Clarkston, Wash., on the morning of Sept. 6, 2022, with his wife Carol by his side.

He was 90 years old.

Ed was born on Dec. 14, 1931, to Charles and Margaret (Allen) Carney near New Lexington, Ohio. He moved to Anchorage, Alaska, in 1951, and was soon drafted into the U.S. Army. While stationed in Anchorage he met the love of his life, Carol June Wilson. The couple moved to Wasilla, and after being discharged from the Army began homesteading at the end of Schrock Road where they raised their three children. In those early years Ed worked for the railroad and did various construction jobs while also running a trap line with his dog team along the Little Susitna River.

Never one to remain idle, through the course of his life, Ed lived the Alaska adventure. He was a heavy equipment operator, private pilot, commercial fisherman, trapper, hunter and dog musher. In 1962, he started Carney Bros. Construction Company and for many years was instrumental in road construction and land clearing throughout the Matanuska Valley.

He was very involved in the community and, as one of the original founders of the Aurora Dog Mushers Club, teamed with Joe Reddington and Dorothy Page to volunteer time and equipment to reopen a portion of the original Iditarod Trail for the 1967 Alaska Centennial dogsled race. This later evolved into the Iditarod Race to Nome.

Despite his remarkable success, Ed remained a humble yet soft-spoken man who valued family most of all. After retiring in 1985, Ed and Carol moved to Clarkston, where they built there forever home and continued to enjoy the outdoor activities of hunting, fishing, golfing and gardening.

Ed will be greatly missed. He is survived by his wife, Carol; daughters, Roxy and Jamie; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Surviving siblings are brothers, Nick, Doug and David Carney; and sisters, Linda Thomas, Nancy Williams, Charlene Pine and Cynthia Buzby. He was preceded in death by his parents; son, Michael; brothers, Dan and Patrick; and sister, Shirley.

The passing of Ed Carney and others of his caliber mark the end of an era. He was instilled with the fortitude and work ethic necessary to survive the early years of what was then a raw frontier community. Those were the days when neighbors helped neighbors, and whether called upon to plow a road, retrieve a downed moose or take to the skies to locate a farmer's lost cow, Ed Carney never wavered. It was common knowledge in Wasilla that if you needed something done, just call Ed Carney.

He took the "Alaska way" to Clarkston where he quietly continued to help so many people.

To share stories and celebrate the life of Ed Carney, please join the family for a potluck Celebration of Life at 2 p.m., on Sept. 25, 2022, at the Palmer Elks Lodge.