Steven Conatser, Former Sitkan, Dies in Fairbanks
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- Created on Monday, 12 June 2023 14:03
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Steven R. Conatser
Former Sitka resident Steven R. Conatser passed away at home in Fairbanks on April 28, 2023. He was 61.
Steve was born in Florida before his family moved to Oregon. When he was 3, the family moved to Alaska and spent time in Sitka and Yakutat before moving to a homestead at Eagle Island on the Yukon River.
Steve stayed out on the Yukon as a commercial fisherman, dog breeder, and trapper and even ran the Iditarod in 1980. He liked to boast that he was the youngest person ever to scratch from the Iditarod.
Steve and his family have hosted the Iditarod checkpoint for the Southern Route of the race at Eagle Island since 1975.
Steve became a private pilot in 1985, and in 1991 he arrived at the University of Alaska Fairbanks to attend the Aviation Maintenance program. He’s been happily wrenching on Super Cubs since.
He is survived by his wife Loni, Fairbanks; son Mike Hathaway of Fairbanks; and siblings Glenda (Chris) Klumper of Kettle Falls, Washington, and Ron (Karmon) Conatser of Rice, Washington.
He’s also survived by nieces and nephews Stephanie (David) Stroud of Salt Lake City, Utah; Travis (Linda) Conatser of Sitka; Tamara (Frank) Kyle of Sitka; and some very important people including Thomas Pauling of Fairbanks, Ben Harper of Talkeetna, Emma Epasitch of Talkeetna, and Grady and Atlee Allen of Casper, Wyoming.
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20 YEARS AGO
November 2004
Photo caption: Mary Lou Colliver presents Sitka Fire Dept. Acting Chief Dave Swearingen a check for $325 to help restore the 1926 Chevrolet fire truck originally purchased by Art Franklin. Colliver donated the money after her business, Colliver Shoes, borrowed the truck to use during Moonlight Madness. The truck is in need of an estimated $20,000 worth of restoration work, Swearingen said.
50 YEARS AGO
November 1974
Sitka Community Hospital Administrator Martin Tirador and hospital board chairman Lawrence Porter told the Assembly Tuesday about the need for a new hospital to replace the existing 18-year-old one. The cost would be about $6.89 million with $2.2 million of that required locally.
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