[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9321]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                        REMEMBERING CURT MENARD

 Mr. BEGICH. Mr. President, I wish to commemorate the life of a 
very special resident of my home State of Alaska, Curt Menard.
  Mayor Curt Menard passed away March 3, 2009, after a long battle with 
myeloma.
  Mayor Menard was the embodiment of a true Alaskan. Honorably serving 
in our Nation's Air Force took him to our State where he left his mark. 
Curt and his wife Linda purchased one of the original homesteads in the 
Matanuska-Susitna--Mat-Su--valley and Curt became one of the first 
dentists in the area. He devoted his life to the people of the Mat-Su, 
and for that we are all grateful to this remarkable man.
  On behalf of his family and his many friends, I ask today we honor 
Curt Menard's memory. I ask that his obituary, published March 5, 2009, 
in the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, be printed in the Record.
  The information follows:

          [From the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, Mar. 3, 2009]

       Curtis Delbert Menard, 64, died March 3 at Mat-Su Regional 
     Medical Center, from complications of multiple myeloma.
       A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at 
     Wasilla High School with Pastor Larry Kroon of Wasilla Bible 
     Church officiating. The following are pallbearers: Curtis C. 
     Menard, Larry, Sgt. Maj. Ret. Ritchie, Nancy, Jim, Gabrielle, 
     Tanner, Harrison, Sullivan, Brock, Grant, Jack, Alexandra, 
     Jane and Charles Menard, and Lewis Bradley. Burial will take 
     place later in the spring at the Menard homestead.
       Dr. Menard was born June 16, 1944, in Detroit. He graduated 
     from L'Anse High School in 1962, received his undergraduate 
     degree at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis., and 
     graduated from Marquette University School of Dentistry Class 
     of 1968.
       He had served with Habitat for Humanity, The Alaska 
     Railroad Board, American Legion, Salvation Army Board, and as 
     chairman of the Multi-Use Sports Complex, and was a member of 
     Wasilla Bible Church. He was an honorary member of the 
     Wasilla Rotary Club, was the Wasilla Chamber of Commerce 
     Citizen of the Year, and the Frontiersman Mat-Su Dentist of 
     the year. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, flying, marathons, 
     farming, coaching, politics, and well wishing.
       His family wrote, ``Curt Menard was raised in L'Anse, 
     Mich., born to June and Curtis Menard. At 15 years old he met 
     the love of his life, Linda. Linda and Curt moved to 
     Milwaukee, to pursue his life-long dream of becoming a 
     dentist. In 1968 he graduated as class president from 
     Marquette University School of Dentistry. He joined the 
     United States Air Force and was stationed at Elmendorf Air 
     Force Base in Anchorage. He worked exclusively with Vietnam 
     soldiers in preparation for the war. During that time he 
     learned to fly and there his love affair with planes 
     commenced. He flew a 206, Supercub, Citabria and a PA 14. In 
     1972 he purchased one of the original homesteads in the Mat-
     Su Valley and built the first professional building and 
     dental office in Wasilla. He especially loved his dental 
     contract in the village of Togiak. Three years later Curt 
     lost his dominant right arm in an electrical accident. With 
     unsurpassed determination, Curt learned to practice dentistry 
     with his left hand. Sen. Curt Menard's public service began 
     as a school board member. Encouraged by his experience, he 
     ran for office and became a state legislator. By this time, 
     he had two thriving dental offices, Palmer and Wasilla Dental 
     Center, 33 employees, five children, and was a respected 
     community leader and politician. He had a love for farming 
     and not only baled 55 acres of hay every summer, but enjoyed 
     cows, chickens, turkeys, homing pigeons, pigs, horses, a cat 
     and many dogs. In 2001, tragedy again struck the family. 
     Curt's son, Dr. Curtis C. Menard II passed away in a plane 
     crash.
       ``Curt was diagnosed in 2003 with multiple myeloma, an 
     aggressive and painful cancer of the bone. In 2006, in true 
     Curt fashion, he took on the task of running and being 
     elected Mat-Su Borough Mayor. In 2007 he went through a stem 
     cell transplant at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. In a 
     selfless manner he put his community before himself and 
     carried out his mayoral responsibilities until the very end. 
     And if you met `Doc' today, his hook would not be the first 
     thing you would notice. You'd see the twinkle in his eye, 
     feel his zest for life and compassion for his fellow man, 
     share his love of his countryside and then, maybe, you'd 
     notice the hook. But by then you'd be so hooked on the man, 
     it wouldn't matter.''
       Survivors are his wife Linda of Wasilla; sons and 
     daughters-in-law, Robert and Gretchen Menard of Milwaukee, 
     Steven Menard of Wasilla, Dr. Dirk and Alicia Menard of 
     Fairbanks; daughter and son-in-law, McKenzy and Jared Boyd of 
     Milwaukee; daughter-in-law, Dr. Carole Menard of Wasilla; 
     grandchildren, Brock, Grant, Jack, Alexandra, Gabrielle, 
     Tanner, Harrison, Sullivan, Jane, and Charles; father, Curtis 
     C. Menard of L'Anse, Mich.,; brothers and sisters-in-law, 
     Larry and Virgie Menard of L'Anse, Sgt. Maj. Ret. Ritchie and 
     Maj. Ret. Joyce Menard of L'Anse, and Jim Menard of Nome; and 
     sister, Nancy Menard of Germantown, Wis. He was preceded in 
     death by his mother, June Menard; and son, Curtis C. Menard 
     II.

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