Peter M. Stern

Our dearly beloved, Peter M. Stern, transitioned onto his next adventure on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. Pete, as he was known by family and friends, was born in Berkeley, California, to the late Alfred and Barbara Stern.

As a child, Pete was a Cub Scout and served as a crossing guard at Hillside Elementary School in Berkeley. In high school, he was a member of the Latin Club and the marching band. After graduating early from Berkeley High in 1964, Pete attended the University of California Berkeley (Cal) where he was very active with the UC Jazz Festival and ROTC. He played clarinet in the Cal Marching Band which provided him an opportunity to play in a Rose Bowl parade. Pete became the head of the Cal Rally Committee, which led to one of his proudest moments of organizing the successful 1967 heist of the Stanford Axe, a trophy awarded to the winner of the Big Game, an annual match-up between the two rival football teams. After graduating with his bachelor's degree in geography in 1969, Pete volunteered for the Vista AmeriCorps program where he was assigned to Arctic Village, Alaska.

Pete's arrival was well timed as the tribal governments in Arctic Village and Venetie were navigating various land management decisions related to the impending Alaska Native Land Claims Settlement Act of 1971. With the surveying and mapping skills he learned in college, Pete was instrumental in helping to correct an error that overlooked 100,000 acres of tribal land from the Venetie Indian Reserve. Though Pete continued on to achieve many accomplishments during his life, his ability to help the Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government to secure its rightful acreage to their traditional landbase was one of his proudest.

After his service as a Vista, Pete obtained his flying license and bought a small plane which he flew back and forth from Fairbanks to Arctic Village as he worked various jobs including on the pipeline and inventorying traditional caribou fences. Although Pete always considered Arctic Village his home, he eventually relocated to Fairbanks with his partner, Florence Newman, and their family to take a position as a firefighter with the City of Fairbanks in 1975. He attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks Tanana Valley Campus graduating with an A.A. in fire science in 1993.

After a 23-year career with the fire department, Pete eventually retired as a battalion chief. He and a friend started Polarnet, Fairbanks' first internet provider, in 1995. He then moved into a second career in information technology with Frontier/ERA/Ravn where he worked for 10-plus years. After another retirement, Pete continued to stay busy by volunteering at Green Star and serving on the Borough Public Safety Commission and the Borough FAST planning technical committee.

Pete had a deep love of music which led him to both produce and attend countless concerts as well as regularly volunteering at KUAC FM 89.9 and at the Fairbanks Folk Festival, managing the sound stage. A talented musician himself, Pete played both classical and folk guitar, the clarinet, and the electric bass. He was an avid speed walker and devotedly walked five miles per day no matter the weather. He could often be seen walking the pedestrian pathways around Fairbanks for exercise and to assess sidewalk conditions and safety concerns.

Pete was an incredibly special and thoughtful person who lived a life of service. He never missed celebrating holidays, birthdays or family accomplishments and had an extraordinarily rare commitment to helping others. Pete was always there for those needing a hand whether family, friend or stranger.

He is survived by his partner of 50 years, Florence Newman; his daughter, Charlene Stern (Byron); his stepchildren, Brenda Kyikavichik (Roger), Connie Newman, Hilda Johnson (John), Walter Newman Jr.; his grandchildren, Shaylene Dublin (Alex), Ryan Newman-Kay, Melissa Newman, Cheyanne Frost, Sheila Kyikavichik, Travis Newman, Rhiana Kyikavichik, Rebecca Martin, Renae Nguyen, Joni Johnson, Melayna Kyikavichik, Jaime Johnson, Janna Johnson, Kolton Adams, Grayson Bluehorse; his great-grandchildren, Mia, Aubrey, Kirra, Madison, Bryson, Kaden, Remington, Gabriel, Zayden, Josiah, Brayden, Elijah, Noah, Owen, Jayce, Genevieve, Ezran, Tucker, Savannah; his siblings, John Stern (Elizabeth), Betsy Stern (Craig Parada), Nancy Cintron-Stern; nieces/nephews, Aeron Jarvis, Renee Stern, Niall Walsh, Willie Walsh, Remi and Gregorio Cintron; brother-in-law, Trimble Gilbert (Mary); his goddaughter, Lisa Frank; and his closest friends, Tom Helmers, Dennis Miller, and George. He was preceded in death by his parents, Alfred and Barbara Stern; his in-laws, the Rev. James and Maggie Gilbert; his godson, Mark James; and his favorite walking partner, his dog Shitsi' (meaning "My Tail' ' in Gwich'in).

Before making the journey to his final resting place in Arctic Village, Pete's Fairbanks firefighting family escorted him in a procession on May 9 by the two fire stations at which he worked.