Good friend and dedicated mother, Mary Rosanne Katzke, passed on January 13, 2026, at the age of 70 after a long fight with breast cancer. This tribute is from a group of special girlfriends and family who were lucky enough to be in her orbit. Mary was a talented and driven woman. Since 1982, she produced numerous grant-funded documentaries through her nonprofit production company Affinityfilms. Mary gave meaning and passion to her filmmaking, screenwriting, writing, and photography. Her Alaska-based documentaries brought attention to various social and healthcare issues, including sexual assault, domestic violence, mental illness, homelessness, Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury and breast cancer. She also worked closely with the Alaska Run for Women on various media projects and participated in the run for many years. Mary was beautiful, caring and an amazing leader. She has left a hole in many hearts. We (her girlfriend tribe) will be walking in the Alaska Run for Women in her honor. Mary has left behind her son, Corin, who is studying to be a lawyer at Yale University, and three sisters and one brother.
We miss you Mary! You’ll always be in our hearts!!!