CARL SEUTTER

Wasilla resident Carl C. Seutter III, 54, died Feb. 28, 2005 at Valley Hospital in Palmer. A celebration of life will be held at a future date to be announced later, sometime in the spring, when his friends can ride their motorcycles in his memory.

Mr. Seutter was born Jan. 28, 1951 in Portsmouth, Va. He attended Deep Creek High School in Chesapeake, Va.

Mr. Seutter joined the Army in 1969 and received advanced training at the U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal School in Indian Head, Md. After a tour of duty in Vietnam and various posts across the country, he was transferred to Fort Richardson in 1983.

Mr. Seutter fell in love with the Alaska lifestyle and declared this to be his permanent home. He loved boating, camping, fishing and hunting. While stationed at Fort Richardson, Mr. Seutter was co-owner of Valley Coins and Comics in Wasilla, indulging his hobbies of coin and comic book collecting. In 1989, he was transferred back to the explosive ordnance disposal school as an instructor.

After his retirement from the Army in 1993, Mr. Seutter returned to his home and family in Wasilla. In 1994, he started Explosive Disposal Engineering & Technologies LTD, a company specializing in the cleanup of former military sites. EDET received numerous government and private contracts, including work on the Eagle River Flats and Benicia Arsenal, Calif.

Health concerns led to a second retirement in 2001. His second retirement gave him the freedom to indulge his lifelong love of motorcycles. He became an active member of the motorcycling community and was one of the founding directors of Valley A.B.A.T.E. (Alaska Bikers Advocating Training & Education.). He became interested in fund-raising for worthy causes such as the Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the Wasilla Boys and Girls Club. Mr. Seutter loved riding his motorcycle with other club members to events like the Memorial Day ceremonies at Butte Elementary School in Palmer.

An interest in tracing his family's history led to Mr. Seutter becoming a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, CSS Shenandoah Camp. He was also a member of the American Legion, AMVETS, and the VFW.

His family wrote, "Carl was a man of many facets. A hard-headed, demanding perfectionist on a job site, after work he enjoyed socializing and laughing with friends and family. He was a loving, caring husband to his wife of 37 years, Cathy. Carl proudly doted on his granddaughters and laughed about spoiling the family's cats."

Mr. Seutter is survived by his wife, Catherine Simmons Seutter; son and daughter-in-law, Carl C. IV and Jennifer Seutter; granddaughters, Kayla and Hannah of Wasilla; brother, Anthony Seutter; sisters, Virginia Pilkington and Rilla Derby, all of Chesapeake, Va., and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Carl C. Jr. and Florence Raspberry Seutter; sister, Louise Chappell, and nephew, Richard Chappell.

Memorial donations may be made to any veterans group. Arrangements were with Valley Funeral Home & Crematory in Wasilla.