Curtis Leroy Stowell

Aug 24, 1938 -

Oct 8, 2021

Former Anchorage businessman and entrepreneur, Curt Stowell, died in Oro Valley, Ariz., of Hepatorenal Syndrome, a rare disease. At his side was his wife, Diane, who considers herself fortunate to have had 50 good years with him.

Curt was born in Seattle in the Queen Anne Hill neighborhood to Roy and Viola Stowell who preceded him in death as did his two sisters, Gloria and Stephanie. After high school, Curt enlisted in the Marines and served two years, then headed to Spain where he worked for the state department for six years installing communication satellites. In Subsequent vacations in Spain, Curt's Spanish proved to be a wonderful asset. Upon returning to the U.S., Curt enrolled in the Kingman Business School in Spokane, Wash., where he earned a degree in accounting and met fellow Kingman alum, Lee Fisher, who brought him to Anchorage. Curt's many skills, outgoing personality, and tireless work ethic led to success in many endeavors. As part owner of Sunrise Distributing, Curt's skills as a salesman, accountant, and cabinet installer proved invaluable in the early days of the booming housing industry in Anchorage. He was even mentioned in a 1976 edition of Argosy Magazine. It's a very old line: "He's such a good salesman, he could sell an icebox to an Eskimo…. Well, a chap named Curt Stowell, of Sunrise Distributing Company in Spenard, Alaska, sold about 200 freezers directly to Eskimos last year." Curt also held a realtor's license, was once a part owner of a warehouse and a trailer court, and eventually joined DSR (Drilling Supply and Rental) servicing the North Slope Oil fields, retiring in 1998. Known as a highly competitive racquetball player, golfer and even Broomball team member, Curt loved active sports and excelled in them. He was game for anything: Snow machining at Big Lake, cross country skiing, biking, even had a stint at dog mushing.

In retirement, Curt and Diane first spent winters in Palm Desert and in 2004 moved to the Tucson area, first, to a home in Saddlebrooke and later residing at Splendido Retirement Community. Curt continued to use his considerable accounting and organization skills as a member of the finance, maintenance and veterans' committees at Splendido, and as a long serving and reliable courier for the Golden Ranch Fire Department. However, the project this former Marine talked about with enthusiasm and love was his work helping to finance and build a Veterans' and First Responders Memorial in Oro Valley.

A memorial Service will be held, Monday, Nov. 8, at 11 a.m. at Resurrection Lutheran Church 11575 N. 1st Ave., Oro Valley, AZ. No flowers, please. Memorials to: Veterans' and First Responders' Memorial (in memory of Curt Stowell) P.O. Box 69712, Oro Valley, AZ 85737