Daily Sitka Sentinel

Keith S. Bartow Sr. Dies; Former Resident was 83

Keith S. Bartow Sr.

Keith S. Bartow Sr., a former Sitka resident, passed away on Mother’s Day, May 8, at his home in Solvang, California. He was 83.

He was born Jan. 14, 1939, to Jean and Gordon W. Bartow Sr., in Glendale, California. He attended elementary school in Manhattan Beach, California, then his family moved back to Glendale, where he completed high school and attended Glendale College.

He joined the U.S. Coast Guard, where he served his country as an instructor preparing young men for the Vietnam conflict.

He married Nancy Lytle, and they had three children: Lisa, Cherilyn and Keith Bartow Jr.

He joined his father in business in 1961, selling orthopedic implants for the Zimmer Company for more than 37 years in Los Angeles County, the third generation in his family to become a Zimmer distributor. He worked alongside his brother, Gordon W. Bartow Jr., also a distributor, in Orange County and San Diego County.

He and his second wife, Tertia Bartow, fell in love with the land in Sitka and bought Clarence and Verl Kramer’s home and island in 1994. Soon after, a bridge and a lodge were built there, and the couple owned and operated Bart Island Lodge. Over the years several weddings were held on the bridge – including that of Burgess and Victoria Bauder.

Keith loved boating and fishing, learning the sea charts and finding the best places to fish. He and his son bought a fishing charter business for a few years, hiring Foy Nevers as their captain.

Keith is survived by his wife, Tertia Bartow, of Solvang; daughter Lisa and her husband Michael Kody and their children, Tyler and Shannon, of Spokane, Washington; daughter, Cherilyn, her husband Samuel Jorgenson, and children Nicole, Kristopher and Matteo, of Boise, Idaho; son Keith and wife Danica Bartow and children Isabella and Alexandra of Anchorage; and stepdaughter Jennifer and husband Bret Rodman and children Tanner and Haydyn of Atascadero, California.

Donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Society and Parkinson’s Association, for it was his hope to end those diseases in our lifetime, his family said.

A celebration of life gathering will be held July 29 at his home in Solvang. All are welcome to attend.