Marl Josephine Campbell

Feb 27, 2026

Marl Josephine Campbell, 90, passed away Feb. 27, 2026, in Anchorage.

Marl was born in Great Falls, Mont., where her Dad, Lyle McCurdie, was employed as an electrician on Kerr dam. She attended 10 different schools in Montana and Alaska as her father's work took them to many power plants and construction projects. She graduated from Polson High School in 1953.

Marl attended Montana State University and worked in Spokane before moving to Juneau in 1957, where she met her future husband Bruce at a Christmas Eve party. Their first date was on New Year's Eve. Their engagement occurred on April Fools Day followed by marriage on the June solstice in 1958 in Fairbanks. They honeymooned by driving nearly all the Territorial roads in Alaska and then returned to Juneau. Her goals were to have a large family by the time she was 30 and to raise her kids to be responsible adults.

Marl was a stay-at-home mom and had simple rules for her children: go outside and play; if you are late for a meal, you missed it; and don't come in unless you are bleeding. As a consequence, all four of her children have fond memories of independent adventures near the Treadwell mine and in the wooded areas above 5th Street in Douglas at a very young age.

Marl and her family moved to South Anchorage in 1975, where she lived in several homes until moving into Baxter Senior living in 2022. Bruce built her a house on Jarvi Drive with a large indoor swimming pool which she used well into her 80s.

She was a member of the Antique Auto Mushers and enjoyed going on long trips in antique cars that Bruce had restored. Her favorite was the trip to Inuvik near the Arctic Ocean in Canada's Northwest Territories.

She was an election official in the Oceanview precinct for over 30 years and hence knew many people in that area.

Marl was an avid bridge player and loved all sorts of puzzles. On Sundays she could be found doing the New York Times Crossword puzzle which she solved about 95% of the time. She was an expert knitter and knitted sweaters with her own beautiful and intricate designs. All her kids and grandkids had knitted stocking caps and mittens. She was an avid reader and was seldom without a novel or mystery at arm's length. She belonged to the Red Hat Society and routinely attended the monthly meetings.

In her younger years, dancing was her favorite activity, especially at Oriental Gardens where she and Bruce were nicknamed Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Marl will be missed by her husband of 67 years, Bruce; four children, Rob (Blythe) of Anchorage, Ric of Renton, Kathy of Tucson, and Jim (Eileen) of Fort Collins; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.