Janet Meehan, 89, died on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013. Her ashes will be spread on the family homestead in Anchor Point this summer.

Janet Meehan was born Nov. 24, 1923, in White Plains, N.Y. She was 12 when she decided that she wanted to live in Alaska. Years later she persuaded her husband, Bill Rabich, to trade his plans of sunshine and sailboats for her Alaska adventure. In 1950, they packed their baby daughter into a World War II Jeep and drove over the Alaska Highway into Alaska, settling in Anchor Point.  

While hunting, Bill discovered where they would homestead. He took Jan on a dogsled ride across the muskeg and up into the Caribou Hills. Following his instructions not to turn around until he told her to, Jan was amazed by the view that she was finally allowed to see. “This,” she said, “is where I want my house.” That is where her house was built, and all the over-sized windows looked out over the muskeg to the Cook Inlet and the mountains beyond. 

Janet’s love of travel did not abate after moving to Alaska. In the summer of 1964, she and Bill took their five children on a camping trip. A year and a half later, the family returned to the homestead. Later, after the children were grown, Bill and Jan made many trips to Belize and Mexico. Janet also traveled throughout the United Kingdom. 

In time, Janet returned to an urban lifestyle by moving to San Francisco. She accepted a job working for a vice president of the San Francisco Giants, and loved her apartment that overlooked the theater district. 

Upon returning to Alaska, Janet moved to Fairbanks and lived on the banks of the Tanana River. 

She was preceded in death by Bill Rabich and her only son, Robert Rabich. Janet’s daughters Janet Brown, Chris Campbell, Holly Byerly and Alison Boyce will continue to share the stories of her life with her grandchildren Matthew and Nicholas Brown, Paige Byerly and Douglas, Seth and Daniel Campbell,  and sons-in-law, Dennis Boyce and Doug Campbell.

“Janet Meehan was loved by many friends and all of those friends will miss her deeply,” her family said.