William "Bill" Henry Fliris
Adventurous life
William "Bill" Fliris, 67, died July 5th in a whitewater kayaking accident on the Colorado River near Kremmling, CO. A service to celebrate his adventurous life will be held Saturday, July 12, 2014, 1:00 p.m. at the Pier Funeral Home with a reception to follow. He is survived by his wife Cathy of Lusk; sons Jesse of Alaska and Brendan of California.
The Lusk Herald
July 16, 2014
William "Bill" Fliris passed away near Kremmling, CO in a whitewater kayaking accident on the Colorado River on July 5th at the age of 67. Bill was born in Germany, grew up in the U.S., and graduated from Cedaredge High School before going on to serve in the U.S. Navy for four years.
After homesteading federal land on the Tozitna River, Alaska, he lived a subsistence lifestyle that included building a log cabin, trapping, dog mushing, salmon fishing, and boating. Cathy and Bill were married 32 years ago on a beaver pond near the Tozitna River, 40 miles out of Tanana, Alaska. He and Cathy started Tozi River Huskies dog mushing tour business upon Bill finishing the 1000 mile Yukon Quest dog mushing race. He bred and trained sled dogs as well as handcrafting all of the dog mushing sleds used in the business. Every summer, they headed to their fish camp on the Yukon River to fish and smoke salmon as well as feed their 50+ sled dogs. He was active in the Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association, working to preserve the health and longevity of subsistence salmon fishing. Sons Brendan and Jesse brought immense joy, entertainment, and pride. When Bill and Cathy headed to Lusk, Wyoming for Cathy's new job, he soon joined the IBEW union, became a journeyman electrician, and had been working at the Laramie River Power Station for the last three years. His recreational passions were photography, whitewater kayaking, camping, bicycling, exploring wilderness roads, computers, reading, woodworking, stained glass, small engine repair, and watching tennis, ballet, and ice-skating.
Bill is predeceased by his father, Armand "Butch" Fliris and his mother, Naomi Lee Fliris. He is survived by his loving wife of 32 years, Cathy. Bill is lovingly remembered by sons Brendan (Judy) Fliris, Oakland, California and Jesse (Renee and Kash) Fliris, Anchorage, Alaska; Sisters Denise (Slim) Burse and Janine (John) Gober, both of San Antonio, Texas; and nieces Tammy Quilliam, Kayla Sykes, and Gretchen Swanson. Bill leaves behind good friends from all over the world.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Bill's name to the National Park Foundation (http://www.nps.gov/getinvolved/donate.htm) or to your favorite or local national park.