Obituary: Stanley Allen Moberly
- Obituary
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Stanley Allen Moberly, 84, passed away peacefully in Tucson, Arizona, on Dec. 6, 2025, with family surrounding — he will be dearly missed.
He was truly passionate about fishing, taking others fishing, reminiscing about and sharing stories of past fishing trips, and meeting new people and socializing in general. Stan lived in Tenakee Springs, Alaska, with his wife of 35 years, Linda Perine (married on Feb. 13, 1991, three years to the day after they’d met).
Stan was born in Elkhart and raised in Oberlin, Kansas. He graduated with a B.S. in Fisheries Biology from Kansas State University and started his career with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. In 1970, Stan moved with his then-wife, Janet Moberly, and their young son, Michael (Anchorage, Alaska, with his wife, Rebecca Hozubin, and daughter, Charleigh), to Ketchikan, Alaska, to work in “The Last Frontier” for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. He took every chance available to see the "Real Alaska," the hunting and fishing opportunities it offers, and the beauty of it all. The family moved to Juneau in 1976, where Stan worked as the Director of the Fisheries Rehabilitation and Enhancement (F.R.E.D.) Division. There, another son, Matthew (Kalamazoo, Michigan, with his wife, Debra St. Aubin), was born to them.
Upon moving to Juneau, Stan quickly appreciated the uniqueness and beauty of Tenakee Springs. He made every effort to travel from Juneau to Tenakee and meet with anyone who might have or know of a property for sale. Eventually, he purchased a property with a workshop, which the Moberlys transformed into a usable cabin over the next decade, and spent every opportunity they could to be in Tenakee.
Stan and Linda eventually bought the lot across the path from the cabin. It was left vacant after the original cannery cabin — along with those of many other long-time Tenakee residents — was demolished during the Thanksgiving Day Storm in 1984; the National Guard built a rip-rap pad thereafter. Stan and Linda built their home of 30+ years, “Double Happiness.”
Stan was always deeply engaged with other professionals in fisheries issues. He joined the American Fisheries Society (AFS) in 1964 and served as president of both the Alaska Chapter and Western Division, and eventually served as President of AFS (1987-1988). He was a persistent and tireless advocate of protecting fisheries habitat, and worked both on and with numerous committees and commissions, nationally and internationally. Stan received many recognitions and awards and appointments along the way, the penultimate award being AFS’s inaugural “Stanley A. Moberly Award for Outstanding Contributions in Fish Habitat Conservation” in 2019. The award is presented annually to an individual who has achieved significant success in fish habitat advances through research, policy, management, education, project implementation, vision, communications and/or outreach.
Stan’s work and advocacy took he and Linda around the world and introduced them to innumerable other professionals, many of whom became colleagues and good friends. These friendships — spanning from the United States, to Australia, Asia and Europe — endure to this day. But, their dearest friends are those they met in Alaska, particularly those they lived life and laughed with in Tenakee Springs. While he will be dearly missed by his family, friends, and those fortunate enough to have met him, he should be remembered by the happy memories, fishing trips and tales he shared with them.
