"She Made a Difference."

RACHEL ANN ARGETSINGER
Anchorage Daily News May 9, 2001

Forty-year Alaskan RACHEL ARGETSINGER, 65, died May 4, 2001, of sudden heart failure at Alaska Regional Hospital. A memorial service was held at St. Mary's Episcopal Church. A reception followed at the Anchorage Curling Club, 711 Loop Road, on Government Hill. Visitation was at Evergreen Memorial Chapel, downtown. Burial was at Anchorage Memorial Park.

Mrs. Argetsinger was born Jan. 18, 1936, in Corning, N.Y. She was raised in Danville, Ill., and Sparks, Nev. She attended Margaret Hall Preparatory Academy in Kentucky and the University of Nevada in Reno. In 1961, Mrs. Argetsinger moved to Fairbanks with her husband and children. She was active in the Fairbanks Curling Club, helped her husband establish and operate a professional land surveying business, and later worked as a payroll supervisor and office manager for several construction firms working on the trans-Alaska oil pipeline and Prudhoe Bay oil field development. In 1978, she moved to Anchorage. Her son wrote: ''Rachel married David Argetsinger in 1980 and shortly after was a founder of Watermark Printers Inc., specializing in custom printing and fine stationery. She has been the manager of Watermark since its founding, where she considered all of her customers as dear friends, sharing expertise and dispensing advice and counsel as needed. She was especially pleased to help a new bride select a wedding invitation and, a year or two later, a birth announcement or a Christmas card. ''Rachel's love of Alaska and its pioneer spirit was absolute. She came into this country as many do, looking for greater independence, new opportunities and the chance to build a community. She found all these things and shared in the great rewards that come with honesty, integrity, self-reliance and hard work. She faced life's tragedies and setbacks with unrelenting strength and determination. Alaska is a better place for her life and work here.'' Mrs. Argetsinger was an active curler for nearly 30 years and a member of the Anchorage Curling Club. She enjoyed gardening, cooking and investing in the stock market. She was preceded in death by her sons, Paul and Vincent, and her parents.

She is survived by her husband, David; son, Jacques Boutet; stepson, Ernest; brother, Edson Sheppard; grandchildren, Alex, Quentin, Madeleine and Paul-Pierre; and 10 nieces and nephews. Memorial donations may be made to Catholic Social Services.


Father's Name: Edson Sheppard
Mother's Name: Cladys Helen Henrietta Berns