Kathleen J. Sahlstrom

Surrounded by family and friends, longtime Alaskan Kathleen Julia Sahlstrom, 61, died Feb. 12, 2011, after a short battle with lung cancer.

Kathy was born Oct. 7, 1949, in Princeton, Mille Lacs County, Minn. She attended school in Onamia, Minn., and Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minn. She was employed by 3M Corp. before moving to Alaska in 1979. Upon arriving in Alaska, she found employment with ARCO, where she worked for the next 10 years. During this time she attended the University of Alaska, where she earned bachelor of science degrees in mathematics and psychology.

After her retirement from ARCO, Kathy was employed by Mat-Su Behavioral Health from 1995 until 2004, where her skills caring and working with others was a great asset. She began working at Chugiak-Eagle River Senior Center in October 2004, where she worked as finance director and then later as the human resource and compliance director. In September 2010, she moved with her longtime friend of 30 years, Jan Freels, to Gravette, Ark., to begin her next chapter in life.

Kathy was a kind, loving, gentle spirit who accepted everyone for who they are. She loved to read, especially science fiction, and had looked forward to travelling around the country. She excelled at crossword puzzles and loved Sudoku. She will be missed and remembered by all who knew her.

She is survived by her mother, Nelda Sahlstrom; sisters, Karen Anagnos, Karol Snead, Konnie Carlson; and brother, Kevin Sahlstrom, all of Onamia. She’s also survived by her brothers, Kenneth Sahlstrom of Snohomish, Wash., and Kris Sahlstrom of Tampa, Fla. She is also survived by her longtime companion, Jan Freels, as well as her other close friends.

Kathy was preceded in death by her father, Harris Sahlstrom; and grandparents, Carl David and Julia Otillah Sahlstrom, and Emil and Esther Regina Peterson, all of Onamia. She will be buried next to her beloved grandmother, Esther Peterson, in Onamia. A memorial service will be held this spring in Onamia celebrating Kathy’s life.

In keeping with her wishes, and in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Kathy’s name to Bean’s Café.