Inside Marty Raney’s Family: Meet His Wife Mollee Roestel and 4 Kids

Marty Raney has been happily married for about four decades since the early 1970s. Together with his wife, Mollee Roestel, The Homestead Rescue reality TV show star has four children.

His children are daughters Melanee and Misty Raney, as well as two sons, Miles and Matthew Raney. They are all grown-ups with lives of their own, but the close bond cultivated when they were young means that they keep in touch with each other from time to time.

Who Is Marty Raney’s Wife Mollee Roestel?

Marty Raney has been married to Mollee Roestel since March 1, 1974. Their union has lasted for a record 50 years. While she is not a regular feature on Homestead Rescue, Mollee Roestel is integral to Raney’s lifestyle. She once remarked that she enjoyed the serenity and solitude of living in an off-the-grid homestead to the hustle and bustle obtainable in a big city.

Before she became Mrs. Raney, Marty’s wife, who is about six months older than him, was reportedly born in Washington, United States on January 31, 1956. She is one of seven children born to Lorel Wayne Roestel and Beverly Roestel nee Watkins. Her father was in the military but not much is known about her mother.

Mollee’s parents tied the knot in 1947 and were together until her father’s’ death in Spokane at the age of 95 on February 28, 2020. His memorial service was held at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Spokane on March 27, 2020.

As previously mentioned, Mollee’s’ parents had seven children. She grew up with two sisters; Sheryl Ripley and Pam Hillemann, and four brothers; David, Larry, Garry T., and Terry Roestel.

We have yet to determine whether Mollee is the oldest of her parents’ children because not much is known about any of her aforementioned siblings. When she was six years old, her parents moved to Snoqualmie Valley and she spent most of her formative years there. However, while she comes across as sufficiently educated, the age at which she got married to Raney suggests that she may not have gotten a college education.

Marty Raney Married Mollee Roestel At The Age Of 18

Mollee Roestel and her husband Marty Raney were both 18 years old when they became husband and wife. Not much is known about how, when, or where they met. We also have no way of determining how long they dated for before deciding to exchange marital vows in front of their respective friends and family members in Washington.

Given their shared love of mother nature, Raney and his new bride moved to the remote Alaskan region of Haines to start a family. Their family has since grown to six with the birth of their children several years ago. Raney found work as a logger while his wife took care of the home front as a homemaker. A few years later, they collaborated to start their own stone logging company.

How Many Kids Does Marty Raney Have?

Marty Raney has four children with his wife, Mollee Roestel. The couple welcomed their first child, a girl they named Melanee Raney in 1976. Years later, in 1978, they had their first son Miles Raney. They soon welcomed another child, and their youngest daughter Misty Raney. Finally, in 1982, the couple welcomed their youngest child and son Matthew Raney.

Raney first caught the eye of the general public in the short-lived reality TV competition series, Ultimate Survival Alaska. An avid mountaineer, Marty influenced his children’s’ love for nature by moving the family to the Wasilla Area in 1979. In 1986, he climbed Denali Mountain and soon became a mountain tour guide.

As previously mentioned, Marty’s’ influence on his children was so strong that it eventually led to the entire family going on a hiking expedition of the full length of the Chilkoot Pass, quite notable for its dangerous terrain and with a checkered history of having claimed the lives of over 100 miners in the late 1800s.

What is even more impressive about the expedition is the fact that all of Marty’s’ children were under the age of 10, the youngest being two years old, when they successfully trailed the treacherous path. Now quite grown, it would not come as a surprise that at least two of those children have become part of the well-viewed reality TV show, Homestead Rescues.

Here is what we know about Marty Raney’s’ four children.

Melanee Raney Is Marty Raney’s’ Oldest Child

  • Date of Birth: October 16, 1976
  • Age: 47 Years Old
  • Mother: Mollee Roestel
  • Occupation: Rafting Guide, Skiing Guide

Melanee Raney was born on October 16, 1976. Her birth sign is Libra, and she belongs to the white caucasian ethnic group. It is still on record that Melanee is Marty’s only child not to have been born in Haines, Alaska because of the complications surrounding her birth.

At the time of her birth, Melanee’s mother, Mollee Roestel reportedly almost bled to death and had to be airlifted to Whitehorse, Yukon – Northern Canada’s largest city to deliver the baby. After her birth, she returned to Haines with her parents where she spent most of her formative years.

Every indication points to the fact that Melanee Raney was homeschooled because she grew up in the Haines’ homestead far from the nearest city or town where she could have gotten a conventional formal education. Beyond that, we have no way of knowing whether she has a college degree or not.

She Has A Good Relationship With Her Father

Being her father’s first child, Melanee Raney enjoyed the first few years of her life as a Raney. For about two years, she was her parent’s only child, and that privilege allowed her to bond with them in a way neither of her siblings would get to do. The fact that Melanee enjoys the outdoors as much as she does to date is down to her father’s visible influence on her.

Father and daughter had some great times while she was growing up, and their relationship with each other has only gotten better as the years go by. It is also quite significant that Melanee Raney has chosen to walk an almost identical career path as her father, and has benefitted immeasurably from the wealth of experiences he has gathered over the years.

Melanee Is A Rafting And Skiing Guide

As stated earlier, Melanee Raney has traded significantly on her experiences while growing up with a family in love with nature. Those experiences have helped her build a career while also living life on her terms. She made it clear that she wanted to live life on her own terms by turning down the offer to be on Homestead Rescue with her dad. She responded that she did not own a TV and also didn’t’ want to be on one.

From what we know, Melanee Raney, who has skied the Denali several times both as a child and an adult, is presently a rafting and skiing guide. Her job consists of showing her clients the lay of the land. She is most notable for having been a ski guide for retired US Supreme Court judge, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’ during her skiing adventures in Alaska.

Melanee Raney Is Happily Married

Melanee Raney became Melanee Stiassny a few years ago when she said ‘I Do’ to fish biologist and guide, Ari Stiassny. Beyond what he does for a living, not much is known about Melanee’s’ husband. The couple reportedly met for the first time on a skiing trip atop Cornbiscuit Mountain in the Chugach.

However, we have yet to establish any plausible timeline for their relationship including when they got married or the events that led to them becoming a married couple. Those unavailable facts notwithstanding, Melanee and her husband have three children together –  Mia, Col Dov, and Taz Stiassny.

Miles Raney Is Marty Raney’s’ First Son

  • Year of Birth: 1978
  • Age: 46 Years Old
  • Mother: Mollee Roestel
  • Occupation: Musician, Mountaineer

Miles Raney was born in Sitka, Alaska, in 1978. His exact date of birth is unknown, but while he is technically Marty Raney’s second child with wife Mollee Roestel, he is the Homestead Rescue star’s firstborn son. Like virtually every other member of his family, Miles grew up in the isolated Alaskan areas.

Details of his formal educational background are as yet unclear but given our best guess is that he was homeschooled as well and didn’t seriously pursue a college education.

Miles Raney Is Close To His Father

Marty Raney has added a lot of career feathers to his cap but he is also renowned as a more than adequate father, a fact that several members of his family can attest to. Miles especially knows what it means to have a father like Marty and being the reality TV star’s first son also granted him certain privileges.

Miles loves nature and music, all things he picked up from being around his father, and those values have remained with him to date. Father and son also spend a lot of time together.

Miles Raney’s Career And Personal Life

Miles Raney’s love for music and nature has become a career outlet for him. The 46-year-old, like his father, is a musician and a mountaineer. For some reason though, he does not take any part in Homestead Rescue.

Not much is known about Miles’ personal life though. He does not appear to be married despite being north of 40 years old. His athletic build and handsome features mean that he is certainly not unattractive and could attract the interest of any woman he chooses but we know nothing about Miles Raney in that regard.

Marty Raney’s’ Second Daughter, Misty Raney, Was Born In The Late 1970s

  • Date of Birth: November 09, 1979
  • Age: 44 Years Old
  • Mother: Mollee Roestel
  • Occupation: Reality TV star
44-year-old Misty Raney is Marty Raney’s second daughter. She was born in Sitka, Alaska on November 9, 1979. She grew up with three siblings – two older and one younger. She grew up under the influence and creativity that usually springs from having relations in that field.

Misty’s relationship with her father is a close one further amplified by the fact that they work together. Speaking of work, Misty Raney is also a reality TV star best known for her participation in several reality TV shows including her family’s signature reality TV show Homestead Rescue.

She has appeared in several seasons of the show including Homestead Rescue: Deconstructed, Homestead Rescue: Building a Legacy, and Homestead Rescue: Hacks Revealed. Her creativity and ingenuity with a hammer have been integral to the success of the show. She reportedly has a net worth of over $400k as a result of her work on the show.

Misty Raney’s Relationship Status

Misty Raney is happily married. She has been married to Maciah Bilodeau since 2000, a fact that indicates she has been married for over two decades. So far, the marriage has led to the birth of a son named Gauge Bilodeau.

Following the birth of her son, Misty had to struggle with weight gain, but she found a way to get things under control through intense exercise and dieting.

Matthew Raney Is Marty Raney’s’ Youngest Child

  • Date of birth: July 1982
  • Age: 41 Years Old
  • Mother: Mollee Roestel
  • Occupation: Reality TV star

Born in July 1982, Matthew Raney is Marty and Mollee Raney’s youngest child. The 41-year-old is also the couple’s second son and like two of his older siblings was born in Sitka, Alaska.

He had a very isolated building in Alaska as his family preferred country existence to living in the big city. That way of living rubbed off on him and he is actively involved in the family’s Homestead business.

He is one of three members of his family including his father and immediate older sister Misty to star in the National Geographic Channel reality TV show titled Homestead Rescue.

Matt Raney Is Married And Has Two Children

Matthew Raney found his soulmate in Katie Raney and the couple tied the knot on May 2, 2016. The couple has been married for over six years now, and have 2 children together.

They welcomed their first child Indy Raney in 2018. Around three years after Indy was born, Matt and Katie had another child, Ruby Raney a little over five years after their wedding on August 21, 2021.

Marty Raney’s Reality TV Show Brought His Family To The Limelight

Born in North Bend, Washington, United States on July 28, 1956, Marty Raney dropped out of school at the age of 16 to work as a logger. Not much is known about the members of his birth family including what they do for a living, and where they are at the moment.

The 67-year-old reality TV star has always had a history of living off the grid but what most people may not be aware of is the fact that he actually enjoys living that way because according to him, it builds character and creativity. He reportedly moved to Alaska at the age of 18 and made a home for himself on a floating logging camp on the Prince of Wales Island.

Several years after finding and settling down with his wife, Raney became the star of the National Geographic Channel’s Homestead Rescues, a show that features the mountaineer and some members of his family as they try to help families aiming to adopt the same homestead-living kind of lifestyle that the musician and his family have lived for decades starting from their time in Haines, Alaska.

Being an integral part of the show exposed Marty Raney to a lot of questions including questions regarding the identity of his family members beginning with his wife and the children they have had together over the course of their relatively long time together as a married couple.

Hugo Wright
Hugo Wright
Hugo has extensive professional writing experience and has been writing and editing articles on multiple platforms for several years now. Away from work, he is a football addict who loves to catch up on his favourite pastimes.

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