RESTORATION WORK – Father Herman Belt keeps an eye on Lincoln Street traffic this morning as workers use a Snorkel Lift to pull rotten pieces of trim from the facade of St. Michael’s Cathedral. Several pieces recently had fallen off the cathedral, which dates to 1976, causing concerns about other pieces possibly falling off and hitting pedestrians. Belt says the plan is to fabricate new wooden trim and properly flash it. East bound traffic was diverted up American Street during today’s work. Contractors may close the street again Wednesday morning. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The threat of major cutbacks to the subsistence socke [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
With the first vote on the city budget for fiscal yea [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
In the final day of play in the recreational division City League volleyball [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Three amateur athletes from Sitka were among tens of [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
A proposal to require Alaska schools to keep opioid-overdose-r [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
Alaska’s Kobuk River, which flows out of the Brooks Range above [ ... ]
Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
April 16
At 8:07 a.m. a woman [ ... ]
Presentation On
Medicare, SS
SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium and Cynthia Gibson, CFP®, an [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Musicians from Sitka High and Mt. Edgecumbe High scho [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Whether you enjoy scaling mountains, walking in the p [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Two-time Alpine Adventure Run winner Chris Brenk cont [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee expanded a [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS and
CLAIRE STREMPLE
The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development is [ ... ]
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
April 15
A protective order was issued at 1 [ ... ]
Chamber Speaker
Event Wednesday
The Chamber of Commerce speaker series will continue noon Wednesday at [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
From high costs and low availability to challenges sur [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
A number of participants at Thursday’s community me [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE Alaska Beacon TJ Beers stood across the street from the Capitol in a nav [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
When it rains hard enough in the Prince of Wales Island town of C [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
A designated wilderness area in Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Fo [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
Julie Kitka, the longtime president of the Alaska Federation of Natives, [ ... ]
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
April 12
At 5:18 p.m. a caller asked for a [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitka Tourism Task Force reviewed a number of recomme [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
Almost exactly a century ago, the engines of four modi [ ... ]
Daily Sitka Sentinel
Susan Sturm Dies at 86; Led an Adventurous Life
Susan Nadine Kinberg Sturm
Susan Nadine Sturm left this life heading for her next adventure on Tuesday, November 24, 2020.
She was born in 1934 in Petersburg to Marvin C. and Alpha K. Kinberg. Susie was a fiercely independent woman who embodied the true Alaska pioneer spirit – there was nothing she couldn’t do. She was a graduate of Sitka High School and attended Sitka Community College before raising her eight children.
Her careers included but were not limited to: bookkeeping for several different companies (including office management for her good friend Carolyn Hammack at Lakeside Grocery); logging at Kidney Cove; commercial trolling and longlining (she was so good at it she caught a 14-foot great white shark while commercial halibut fishing); and, much to her grandchildren’s delight, was known to occasionally work as a substitute teacher and also worked in the cafeteria as a “lunch lady.”
Her final career was working for the Alaska Marine Highway System starting in July 1993 on the good ship Taku as “pots & pans” and working her way up to chief purser on the M/V Malaspina until her retirement 15 years later. Susie loved her job working on the ferry system as it fulfilled both her passion for helping people and being on the ocean.
Susie’s interests were building her remote island home, hunting, sport fishing, trapping (she trapped enough mink to have a custom-made fur parka and made many pieces of jewelry with the soft fur), abalone picking (the hard way, while trying to stay upright on kelp-covered rocks), beach-combing, gardening and volunteering at the White E.
She also enjoyed working with copper repousse, cake decorating (she made numerous wedding cakes for her children’s and grandchildren’s weddings), stained glass and poetry writing (her friend Kay Royce financed the publishing of her book “Poetry of an Alaskan Pioneer”).
She loved to dance, play the accordion, and for many years hosted the bagpipers who were annual visitors on Alaska Day. She also loved participating in the annual Sitka Christmas boat parade, along with her good friends Al and Signe Wilson, Ted Hunt, Joe and Bobbie Whitson and many others. One of her crowd-pleasing designs was a waving Santa, that graced the roof of the wastewater treatment plant for several years after the parade.
Susie is survived by her sister Fay Nelson of Sitka; and eight children; Valorie (Connor) Nelson, Tony (Barb) Sturm, Lyndene (Gary) Downie, Dawn (Randy) Gluth, Jeff (Tammy) Wheeler, Stella (Dan) Shockley, and Leslie Young all of Sitka, and Madeline (Keith) Rake of Lewiston, Idaho, as well as her red-headed stepchild, Christy O’Shaughnessy of Seattle, Washington.
Also surviving are many grandchildren (one of her favorite sayings was “you can never have too many grandchildren or strawberries”), including Marti Jones, Spencer, Cory and Brook Nelson all of Washington State, Kyle (Nadiia) Rice of St. Louis, Missouri, Kendra (Shane) Nicholson of Kodiak, Josh (Leanne) Sturm and James W. Sturm of Sitka, Jeremy (Amanda) Downie of Jacksonville, Florida, Jenna Downie of Lubbock, Texas, Gary Jr. (Koali) Downie of Sitka, Tiffany (Dave) Pearson of Sitka, Theresa (Kyle) Hampton of LaGrande, Oregon, Katherine (Josh) Johnson of Sitka, Emily (Rob) Baldwin of Kapolei, Hawaii, Julia (Trevor) Hyatt of Anchorage, Johanna (Alec) Gluth of Sitka, Jason (Caitlin) Koelling of Temple, Texas, Ashlee (Bryson) Morrow of Jefferson City, Missouri, Tally, Keegan, Casey, Abby and Jack Wheeler all of Sitka, Megan Mary (Chris) Radke of Lewiston, Idaho, Matthew (Casal) Hornaman and Trevor Hornaman of Sitka, Alex and Anthony Raphun of Molalla, Oregon, and Wayne and Jason Young of Sitka.
Forty-eight great-grandchildren and 5 great-great-grandchildren also survive her.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Marvin and Alpha Kinberg, her brothers Marvin and Tom Kinberg, her sister Rose Reed, her son-in-law Tom Young and her best friend, Signe Wilson.
A celebration of life will be held at a later time when her family can gather to spread her ashes on her beloved island. In lieu of flowers the family would suggest donations be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation.
Login Form
20 YEARS AGO
April 2004
Photo caption: Sitka High students in the guitar music class gather in the hall before the school’s spring concert. The concert was dedicated to music instructor Brad Howey, who taught more than 1,000 Sitka High students from 1993 to 2004. From left are Kristina Bidwell, Rachel Ulrich, Mitch Rusk, Nicholas Mitchell, Eris Weis and Joey Metz.
50 YEARS AGO
April 1974
The Fair Deal Association of Sealaska shareholders selected Nelson Frank as their candidate for the Sealaska Board of Directors at the ANB Hall Thursday.
Calendar
