Family and friends of Clayton William Christoffel will gather at Sitka National Cemetery at 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 22, for the interment of his ashes.
Clay, a former Sitkan, died March 27 in Idaho Falls, Idaho, at the age of 74.
He was born Nov. 18, 1951, in Sitka, the son of Frances (Hull) and Clement W. Christoffel. After graduating from Sitka High School in 1970, he joined the U.S. Navy, and served some six years. When he returned to Sitka, he raised his son Brian while working at Alaska Lumber and Pulp, later Alaska Pulp Corp.
After the mill closed in 1993, he moved to Phoenix to attend refrigeration school, and there he met the love of his life, Jeanette Threadgill; they married in 1994. They moved to Idaho Falls, where he worked for years in heating and air conditioning. The two lived an active life, with much traveling., before several health challenges caused him to retire.
Clay was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, Richard, and a sister, Connie Thaler.
He is survived by his wife Jeanette, of Idaho Falls, his son Brian of Virginia, sister Mary Helem (Gerry) of Sitka, brother Ronald of Moore, Oklahoma, and several nieces and nephews.
A military service was held April 11 for Clay, a U.S. Navy veteran, at the Eagles Lodge, in Idaho Falls.
