Rick Mackey Obituary and Death: The 1983 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race winner, has died of lung cancer at the age of 71.
His father Dick won the race in 1978, while his brother Lance won a historic four straight championships from 2007 to 2010. Rick Mackey was diagnosed with lung cancer two weeks after his brother’s death in September 2022. All three Mackeys won their first Iditarod on their sixth tries and wore bib 13. His racing career slowed down as he aged, and he and Patti took school district jobs in Nenana, a community about 60 miles southwest of Fairbanks. He led the maintenance and custodians for 17 years before retiring. The family is tentatively planning services for Memorial Day weekend.
Rick Mackey was born in Concord, New Hampshire, on May 1, 1953, and moved with family to Alaska in 1959. Before the first Iditarod in 1973, Brenda said her father asked Dick Mackey for a dog. Soon, they were spending weekends at sled dog races — Rick racing on Saturdays in junior events and Dick Mackey in adult races on Sundays.
Rick met his future wife, Patti, at a 1973 community gathering to prepare Dick Mackey to run in the first Iditarod. Their love and the start of what is now the world’s most famous sled dog race have been intertwined from the start. She and Rick handled dogs at the start of the 1974 Iditarod. He ran his first race a year later. They married in 1977. Brenda was born a year later, and son Roland was born in 1996.
When not racing, Rick and Patti Mackey ran their own kennel and bred dogs. Not only does she consider her husband the best musher, but he was also an incredible trainer. This man could train a dog team, he just had a real rapport with those dogs. Her husband twice won the Iditarod’s Humanitarian Award for exceptional dog care. All through their life, they’ve been fortunate enough to be able to have that kind of lifestyle and bring their children up in an environment that not too many people get the privilege of experiencing.
Rick Mackey participated in 22 Iditarods between 1975 and 2004, notching 13 top 10 finishes, including coming in second in 1994. Mackey is one of six mushers who have won both of the 1,000-mile sled dog races in North America, the Iditarod and the now-defunct Yukon Quest International Sled Race between Alaska and Canada.
In the 1999 Iditarod, “All My Children” actress Susan Lucci rode in Rick Mackey’s sled for the 11-mile leisurely jaunt through the streets of Alaska’s largest city. Rick Mackey’s greatest accomplishment was his family. He loved dogs, he loved racing, but bottom line, nothing else mattered more than his children and me. He was just very kind.
Rick Mackey’s legacy will live on through his family and the Iditarod community. His love for dogs and racing was evident in everything he did, and he will be deeply missed by all who knew him. The Iditarod has lost a true champion, and his memory will be cherished by all who were lucky enough to know him.
The Iditarod community is mourning the loss of one of its most beloved members. Rick Mackey was a true champion, not just because of his racing accomplishments, but because of his kindness, generosity, and love for the sport. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him, and his legacy will live on through his family and the Iditarod community.
Rick Mackey’s love for dogs and racing was evident in everything he did. He was a true champion, and his memory will be cherished by all who were lucky enough to know him. The Iditarod has lost a true legend, and he will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
The Mackey family has been a fixture in the Iditarod community for decades, and Rick Mackey’s passing is a tremendous loss. He was a true champion, and his legacy will live on through his family and the Iditarod community. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
Rick Mackey’s greatest accomplishment was his family. He loved dogs, he loved racing, but bottom line, nothing else mattered more than his children and me. He was just very kind. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him, and his legacy will live on through his family and the Iditarod community.
