Adam Sakkinen Obituary

Adam Frederick Duane Sakkinen, 32, passed away Thursday morning, July 7, after an 11-day battle in Anchorage's Providence Medical Center ICU.

Adam was born at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital Feb. 19, 1990, to Laurel K. Sakkinen (Baker) and Donald W. Sakkinen.

In addition to his parents, Adam is survived by his sisters, Tera Sakkinen Leatherwood and Freya Sakkinen Janssen; brothers-in-law, Jonathan Leatherwood and Jesse Janssen; four treasured nieces and nephews, Cooper and Everly Leatherwood and Pyper and Brooks Janssen; and very large and close extended family of cousins, aunts and uncles in both Alaska and Minnesota.

Adam was preceded in death by his grandparents, Fred Sakkinen and Sophie Sakkinen (Lund) and Duane Baker and Beverly Baker (Delger), Aunt Sharon Blackwell (Baker), and Uncle Stanley A. Sakkinen.

Adam attended Ticasuk Brown Elementary School, North Pole Middle School and was a 2008 graduate of North Pole High School. He was mechanically and mathematically minded, achieving an instrumentation certificate at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He enjoyed building, constructing, designing and repairing anything from a transmission to siding and roofs. He worked side-by-side with his father, Donald, in the property management and construction industry and had purchased his first rental property in an emerging property portfolio.

Adam was a connoisseur of good food and enjoyed cooking and serving in many of Fairbanks' restaurants, including Brewster's, Geraldo's, Tu-Chies and Lavelle's Bistro, where he made countless friends with patrons and coworkers. In 2019, he took his talents to Phoenix, Arizona, and served at both Litchfield's Wigwam Bar and Grill and Old Chicago. In 2022, he began a fulfilling and challenging career in commercial property maintenance at VP Maintenance of Tempe, Arizona.

Since his childhood, Adam had an infectious laugh and a smile that would light up a room. His family describes him as smart, helpful, adventurous, loving, easy going, kind and a great friend. He was a great conversationalist who could make a friend in any room. He saw the positive in everyone he met and could speak intelligently about a vast array of subjects; his insights were appreciated by many. Adam was always quick to lend a helping hand to a friend in need, with a project or on an academic problem. He loved to travel, having already travelled throughout Europe and North America. He recently made a cross-country road trip, enjoying new places and visiting family and friends along the way. He also relished all the outdoor opportunities Alaska offers: hiking, fishing, kayaking, snowboarding and camping. He was a fantastic cook and joyfully prepared dinners for his friends and family. His crew of similarly-aged cousins met at an early age, had many adventures together and grew closer with every visit. Adam also loved spending time with his many friends just hanging out, watching movies and sports, playing tennis or frisbee golf, going to concerts or playing video games until all hours of the morning.

Most importantly, Adam loved and is loved by his family. Countless family vacations, road trips with his mom, holidays, birthdays, dinners, daily phone calls and texts, family reunions and spending every Alaskan summer together kept his family extremely close. He was known as the best "funkle" (fun uncle). As a child, Adam enjoyed playing soccer, baseball, basketball and tennis. He kept his youthful energy as an adult and was always up for any game including soccer, miniature golf, hide-and-go seek or cannonballs in the pool. One of Adam's most admirable traits was his prescient knowledge of his family's needs. He had an inner caregiver that came out in recent years as he helped his parents travel between Alaska and Arizona, always making sure the family dog, Rufus was walked and cuddled.

No matter the circumstances, Adam was sure to let those he loved know and would always leave you with a big, warm hug and kind goodbye.

A memorial and celebration of life will be held Thursday, July 14, at 5:30 p.m. at Birch Hill Rec Area, 101 Wilderness Drive, Fairbanks, AK, 99701. The family will receive friends beginning at 4 p.m. prior to the beginning of the service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial tributes be directed to Adam's funeral fund to assist with expenses, www.gofundme.com/f/adam-sakkinens-memorial or Alaska USA Account: 283305 c/o Tera Leatherwood.