Stephen "Steve" Wallace Indahl
Feb 16, 1942 -
Sep 30, 2025
Steve Indahl, 83, passed away in Anchorage, Alaska on September 30, 2025, following a short illness.
He was born in Los Angeles, California on February 16, 1942, to Luella (Applen) Indahl and Wallace Indahl.
Steve grew up in Mountain Iron, Minnesota, the oldest of five children who all loved to laugh, joke, and make fun of each other.
He was a formidable football player for the Mountain Iron Red Raiders and Virginia Junior College team, where he earned All-Conference and All-American status. He was inducted into the Mountain Iron Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
Steve also sang in the high school choir, where the director described his voice as "a diamond in a coal mine." He and three buddies formed a quartet that specialized in Everly Brothers songs and other ballads of that era.
In 1964, Steve was drafted into the Army. At Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, he played football for the team there and worked as a lifeguard at the officers' pool. Some time into his Army tenure, his First Sergeant asked him how he was doing, and he replied, "Great!" "Good! Pack your bags, you're going to Vietnam tomorrow," was the reply.
Steve was assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group, commonly known as the "Green Berets," where he served as a forward artillery observer.
On returning from Vietnam, he enrolled at Bemidji State College, where he majored in education and again played football, this time for the BSC Beavers. In subsequent years, he earned several degrees—B.S. and M.S. from BSC, and later an advanced administrative certificate from St. Cloud State University.
Steve's first education job was in Kelliher, Minnesota, where he was both elementary teacher and principal for the next six years.
In 1979, he married Marcia Olson, and they headed for Alaska. They both worked for the Kuspuk School District in the village of Sleetmute—Steve again combining teaching and administration-- for a year before settling in Anchorage. Steve taught in the Anchorage area for the next twenty years, primarily on U.S. Army / Air Force base schools.
Upon retiring from the Anchorage School District, Steve worked for Princess and Royal Celebrity Tours as a motorcoach driver on tours throughout Alaska—the perfect job for a man who loved cars, telling stories, and entertaining a crowd. He was a classic car nut whose prized possessions included an Onyx Black '57 Chevy Bel Air, an Arcadian Blue '65 Ford Galaxy, and a Tuxedo Black '60 Corvette.
Steve was a person who inspired friendship. He loved to laugh, tell jokes, and reminisce with the "Mountain Iron Boys" at their frequent high school reunions.
Steve loved Alaska. He relished his time in the bush, teaching Yupik students. He worked in commercial fishing for a summer, and at a goldmine another summer. He and Marcia spent many happy times with their three kids --Nick, Joey, and Christina -- exploring the state in various campers and motor homes, fishing for halibut and salmon on the Kenai Peninsula, and driving the Alaska Highway to and from Minnesota.
Steve was a proud Norwegian and Christian who said that his confirmation at age 15 changed his life. He joined Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Anchorage in 1980, where his three children were later all baptized and confirmed.
Steve is survived by two of his children: Joseph Indahl, Anchorage, and Christina (Matt) Lauver, Denver; grandchildren Owen and Violet Lauver; siblings Mary (Lee) Moeglein, Julie (Jim) Rodorigo; and Kathy Pratt; nieces and nephews, and many friends and colleagues.
He was predeceased by parents, son Stephen Nicholas Indahl, and brother Charles Indahl.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 8 at 1:00 pm at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 8427 Jewel Lake Road, in Anchorage. A reception will follow at the Jack Henry American Legion Post #1 on Fireweed Lane.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial may be made to Gloria Dei or the Jack Henry American Legion Post #1 in his name.
