Michael Anne Bania (nee Banta), 81, of Wrangell, Alaska, departed from this world on Nov. 25, 2025. She suffered from heart failure, multiple myeloma and a rare disease called light chain amyloidosis, a malady not often found in women.
Michael was born on Aug. 4, 1944, in Pasadena, California, to Milton and Virginia Banta. She attended Pasadena High School and graduated in 1962. After high school she attended Pasadena City College, University of California Santa Barbara and ultimately graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in fine arts. She later obtained an endorsement in education, allowing her to teach.
Michael worked as a teacher, book writer and illustrator in California before moving to Kotzebue, Alaska, in 1982, when she obtained employment with the Northwest Arctic Borough School District. She was hired to supervise the NWABSD print shop, oversee production of the first textbooks and workbooks in the Inupiaq language and work with the television department. She completed over 1,000 illustrations for those workbooks and textbooks.
In the early 2000s she worked with a group of people in Kotzebue to develop a grammar book, also for the Inupiaq language.
Following her marriage to John Bania, she moved to Buckland, Alaska, in 1984, where she was a kindergarten and preschool teacher.
Michael had an interesting and adventurous life living and working in the Arctic in Kotzebue, Buckland, Noatak and Shungnak, all the while raising a son with John. She particularly enjoyed the village children, the customs and traditions of the local Inupiaq people and living a genuine Alaska lifestyle.
Up until the time of her death, she had contact with people in rural Alaska even though she had retired from the region in 1998.
While teaching all those years, Michael found time to write, illustrate and publish books for kids. She developed the Kumak series of books. One of which (“Kumak’s House”) went on to win a national read-aloud book award. The Kumak books also appeared on the statewide Battle of the Books list for many years. She wrote and illustrated other books as well.
Her artwork was recognized locally and statewide, some of which also won awards.
Michael and John also lived in Soldotna and Homer, but missed a more rural life and moved to Wrangell in 2009. In Wrangell, Michael was involved in the local artist group, the Wrangell Museum and the community theater. While active in the theater group, she did much of the set design.
She was also a past president of the Friends of the Museum. She participated in most of the subsistence activities including shrimping, crabbing and fishing. It could be said that she was a fair-weather fisherwoman.
Michael was petite, but tougher and stronger than you would expect. Once, during very trying times enduring the three diseases, she said: “I know I have to remain strong. It is hard, but I will do it.” And she did until the end.
She is survived by her husband of 42 years, John; son Dr. Buck Bania (Heather) of Fargo, North Dakota; grandchildren Patton, Addison and Oliver; brothers Chris and John; sisters Denise, Jacque, Linda and Jesse.
A celebration of life will be held after the holidays, probably in the spring. Any donations should be made to the Wrangell Museum, Box 1050 Wrangell, AK 99929.
