Fortner, John Larry

Former Alaska resident John Larry Fortner, 83, died Dec. 
13, 2009, at his home in Sierra Vista, Ariz.

John was born Nov. 29, 1926, in a small town in Illinois, 
grew up in Newport, Ind., and hitchhiked to California 
when he was only 16. 

He joined the U.S. Army in November 1945 and trained as 
part of the 187th Glider Infantry. In 1947 John married Iva 
Condley; they later moved to the small town of Anchorage 
from California in January 1950. 

John was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting and 
especially enjoyed fishing in the waters of Resurrection 
and Kachemak bays. When not hunting or fishing, John 
worked as a contractor in Anchorage, constructing single- 
and multi-family homes and helping in the growth of the 
Anchorage community. 

"Over the years, he had a wide variety of friends and lived 
an interesting and complex life," his family said.

John and Iva moved to Arizona in 1995 since, as John 
eloquently put it, the Alaska winters were "too damn cold."

He is survived by his wife, Iva Fortner of Sierra Vista; 
daughters, Jana Persson of Anchorage and Vicki Jones of 
Douglas, Ariz.; son, John Fortner of Anchorage; seven 
grandchildren, Tiffany, Grant, Ivy, Tanya, Marcie, John and 
Robin; and five great-grandchildren.

Published in adn.com from February 22 to February 23, 
2010