Terry Joe Stalker

Terry Joe Stalker, entrepreneur and local small-business owner, passed away on Dec. 23, 2018, at the age of 66. He passed a few days after undergoing surgery to address a heart condition at Providence Hospital in Anchorage, Alaska. Terry was born on April 11, 1952, in Central City, Neb., to Thayne and Virginia Elizabeth Garrett Stalker. He grew up on a farm in Archer with his siblings, Sue, Kathy, and Gary. He lived in California and Nevada prior to marrying and moving to Washington. He moved to Alaska in 1982 and made it his home for most of the rest of his life. When Terry moved to Anchorage and opened the Waterbed Warehouse in 1982, he became known for his TV commercials, described by the Anchorage Daily News - and his children - as ""hokey, even obnoxious,"" including pies in the face, a Nixon mask and impersonating an FBI agent - ""Fabulous Bargain Investigator."" His support for the local community began in 1984 with his first ""Sleep Out."" For 17 years, Terry slept outside every February in a waterbed for three nights, with temperatures dipping as low as 20 below, to raise awareness and donations for the homeless. To know Terry was to know a fun, curious, spiritual, independent and kind-hearted person. If you were in his presence, you were guaranteed to find yourself laughing with him, drinking a Crown Royal, arguing with him and then laughing with him again. While he lived a relatively short life, he had more fun than most who lived twice as long. He was preceded in death by his brother, Gary, in 1967; his father on Christmas Eve 1984; his sister, Kathy, in 2015; and his mother in 2017. He is survived by Carla, his former wife and mother of his children: Adam, Skyler and Daniel; his granddaughter, Alyssa; his eldest sister, Sue Adams; and many loving friends. Terry's Memorial will be held on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019, at 4 p.m., at 4700 Melvin Street in Anchorage, barbecue potluck will be included, BYOB.