Thomas Frances Sexton

Jul 20, 1940 -

Mar 12, 2025

Former Alaska Poet Laureate Thomas (Tom) Francis Sexton, 84, passed away at home in Anchorage with his wife by his side on Mar. 12, 2025, from heart failure. He was born on July 20, 1940, in Lowell, MA to Raymond J. Sexton and Harriet Quinn Sexton. He attended the Immaculate Conception School and graduated from Lowell High School. In 1959 he joined the Army and was sent to Ft. Richardson. At the end of his service, he returned to Lowell and eventually made his way to Northern Essex Community College, then Salem State College, now Salem State University, where he met his wife, Sharyn. After graduating in 1968, they married and drove north to Alaska where Tom attended the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, earning a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing. After graduation he was offered a teaching position in the South-Central Regional Center, now UAA. He was one of six professors in 1970. He began the creative writing program, then launched Raven Magazine. In 1976, he took a sabbatical leave and was accepted into the University of New Mexico's Art History Ph.D. program, studying under the renowned "Father of Photography" Beaumont Newhall. Returning to Alaska, he created a History of Photography class which he taught for several years and wrote several articles for Alaska Magazine about the history of photography in Alaska. He loved taking photographs. In 1976, he received an honorable mention in the annual All-Alaska Juried Exhibition for Artists and Craftsmen, and his photo "Juneau Cold Storage" was purchased by the Alaska State Museum in Juneau. He was a founding editor of Alaska Quarterly Review.

His real love was poetry. At Northern Essex he met a teacher who encouraged him to write poetry. He was a founding editor of that college's literary magazine. Throughout his career, he poured himself into his teaching which left little time for writing. He retired as Emeritus Professor in 1994, and was appointed by the state legislature as the last State Poet Laureate in 1995. It is now State Writer Laureate. He and Sharyn traveled to the coast of Maine for a year, and he began writing in earnest, publishing 16 books of poetry over the next 30 years. His poetry has also appeared in many journals and anthologies.

In 2002, he was named Distinguished Alumni at Northern Essex Community College. He was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus at Lowell High School in 2006. In 2012, The Alaska Chamber Singers commissioned Minnesota composer Libby Larsen to compose a piece in honor of their 25th anniversary. Director David Hagen sent her different texts, and she chose five of Tom's poems to set to her composition. In 2013, UAA awarded Tom an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Poems in Place, poems by Alaskan poets on signs in Alaska's State Parks, chose his poem "Independence Mine, August," placed at Independence Mines Historical Park in 2014. He was Writer in Residence in Denali National Park in 2014.

Summers found Tom in his greenhouse, worrying over his tomatoes. For 10 years, they spent many weekends and winter breaks in their cabin near Hurricane, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. He loved the Boston Celtics and all things Irish.

Having fallen in love with the coast of Maine, Tom and Sharyn purchased a home in Eastport where they spent every other winter until 2023. They drove across Canada, first with their Airedale, Maisey, then their Irish Terrier, Murphy. Winters there were very quiet. Tom loved walking the nearly empty streets, visiting the old cemetery, sampling apples from the old apple trees.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents, his Airedale, Maisey, his Irish Terrier, Murphy. He is survived by his wife, Sharyn; his sister, Rayeanne King; nieces, Alison King and Kim Schilpp, all of Massachusetts; and numerous cousins. At his request there are no services. His ashes will be interred in the Fort Richardson National Cemetery. A celebration of his life will be on his birthday on July 20, 2025.

Memorial donations to American Heart Assn., American Cancer Society, Friends of Pets or a charity of your choice. Arrangements by Janssen Funeral Home.