Boundary County ID Archives Obituaries.....Bartron, Bart Dersu July 29, 2005 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/id/idfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: K T bluewolf@onemain.com August 11, 2005, 1:06 am KOOTENAI VALLEY PRESS Bart Dersu Bartron August 10, 2005 Bart Dersu Bartron, 24, died July 29, 2005, from injuries he received in a head-on collision at the south end of Bonners Ferry, Idaho on Highway 95. Funeral Services were held on Friday, August 9, at the First Christian Church in Sandpoint, Idaho. Bart was born in the High Sierras of Bishop, California, on June 24, 1981, to Fern and Glen Bartron. He and his family resided in California, Nevada, Oregon and Sandpoint, Idaho, where he graduated from Sandpoint High School in 2000. He was home schooled for three years, which helped him to become an avid reader. He loved J.R.R. Tolkien’s works, which he had read by age 11 with the aid of a college dictionary. He loved all things pertaining to fantasy and adventure, from King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table to Star Wars. He loved role-playing and video games, snowboarding, paintball, and jousting with his friend. His musical tastes ranged from classical to heavy metal and he was learning how to play bass guitar. He was interested in other cultures and wanted to travel to Rome, Japan and Germany. He enjoyed getting tattoos and body piercings, dying his hair in wild colors and wearing clothing that made statements. He wanted to see how many people would actually be able to talk to him, and get to know him rather than immediately reject him because of their prejudices, and fears. He hated hypocrisy, cruelty, corruption, greed and intolerance and he was not afraid to speak his mind. He was very entertaining to his friends, he kept them on their toes, never quite knowing what to expect next and not wanting to miss out on something he might say or do. He enlisted into the Army on December 30, 2004, where he excelled in all his training. He became the platoon guide in basic training. He was stationed at Fort Richardson, Alaska, with the C Company Task Force 1-501 Airborne as 13 Fox fire coordination specialist (“FIST”). During obstacle training in basic, his unit buddies would yell, “Do the little Buddha, Hart!” which he would then perform the karate kid crane stance across the beamwalk of the confidence course. While on a training exercise in Australia he was affectionately given the honorary title of “Demon Monkey” for his tenacity by members of his unit. He was really beginning to “find his stride” in his unit and he loved the Army Ethos. His company commander said, “He was a great young leader, who had unlimited potential and a great attitude.” His battalion commander said, “He was a proud young American soldier and an inspiration to us all.” His awards and decorations include his paratrooper wings, expert rifle badge, Combat Infantry Badge, the Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal (Posthumously), National Defense Medal, War on Terrorism and Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, respectively. He will be greatly missed by his unit. He was home on a two week leave and was able to see his two month old baby daughter, Lyssa, for the first time since her birth, and to be with his beloved daughter, Kjestine, two years old, who was the light of his life. He and his girlfriend, Tabitha, had been visiting with many family and friends while he was home, including some of his friends who were also home on leave from other duty stations. He was slated to deploy to Afghanistan at the end of the year. He is survived by his daughter, Lyssa R. Saunders, his parents, his sister, April Mooney (Justin) and one month old nephew, Gavin, grandmother Emma Lehman, Bishop, California, grandfather Don H. Bartron, Sr., Hawaii, and a large extended family who loved him dearly. Bart was cremated and his remains will be interred at the gravesite of Tabitha and Kjestine Saunders at the Pack River Cemetery. Certó idem sum quí simper fuí. (Certainly I am the same as I always have been) ** Services set for four killed in car collisions Lyssa Saunders' condition improves, hearing set for Peterson August 02, 2005 By Mike Weland Funeral services for four people killed in two Boundary County vehicle collisions that occurred within hours of each other in late July have been set. Services for Cindy Carol (Luttrell) Smith, 38, who died when a pickup struck the car her daughter was driving near Three Mile July 28, will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, August 4, at the Bonners Ferry Funeral Chapel. Combined services will be held for three members of a family killed in a head on collision shortly after 3 a.m. July 29 south of Bonners Ferry. Services for Tabitha Christine Saunders, 21, Kjestine Saunders, two years, 11 months, and Bart Dersu Bartron, 24, will be held at First Christian Church, 201 North Division, Sandpoint, at 11 a.m. Friday, August 5, and they will all be buried in the Pack River Cemetery. In a Spokesman Review article published today, the condition of the other passenger in the vehicle, two-month-old Lyssa Saunders, was upgraded from critical to serious at Sacred Heart Medical Center, Spokane. The sole survivor in the vehicle, she suffered seven skull fractures, internal bleeding and a broken arm. A ventilator tube used to enable her to breath has been removed and she is now breathing on her own. The driver of the pickup that hit them, Luke Allen Peterson, 26, who suffered only minor injuries in the collision, remains in jail on $1-million bond facing charges of aggravated drunk driving and three counts of vehicular homicide. A preliminary hearing has been set before Judge Justin Julian at 1:30 p.m. Friday, August 12. In court documents, he refused to sign two notification of rights forms given to those accused of crimes, and he maintains he was not driving when the collision occurred. **** Peterson facing years in prison August 01, 2005 Luke Peterson, 26, Naples, accused of driving his Dodge pickup head-on into a Plymouth Neon at 3:10 a.m. Friday, July 29, 2005, killing three people and critically injuring a two-month-old infant, remains in Boundary County Jail on a $1-million bond and faces years in prison if convicted. Peterson was charged with one count of aggravated DUI and three counts of vehicular manslaughter, all felonies. If convicted, he faces up to ten years in prison for aggravated DUI and up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine on each count of vehicular manslaughter. According to the Idaho State Police, Peterson was traveling south on U.S. 95 when he veered into the northbound lane just south of Bear Creek Lodge and hit the car, driven by Tabitha Saunders, 21, Bonners Ferry. Though it hasn't been confirmed, it was reported that Tabitha was returning from the Spokane Airport, bringing Bart Bartron, 24, home on leave from his duty station in Fort Richardson, Alaska, where he served in the U.S. Army. Bartron was pronounced dead at the scene and Tabitha and her daughter, Kjestine Saunders, two, were transported to Boundary Community Hospital, where they both died. Tabitha's youngest daughter, Lyssa Saunders, was flown to Sacred Heart Medical Center, Spokane, where she remains in serious condition. According to the Idaho State Police, everyone in the Neon was buckled in and all safety precautions had been taken. A properly installed child safety seat is credited with saving Lyssa's life. Tabitha did attempt to evade the collision, the Idaho State Police said. The force of the impact was so great both vehicles came to rest off the opposite side of the highway. Peterson, too, was transported to Boundary Community Hospital, where he was treated and released into the custody of sheriffs deputies. He had allegedly been drinking at a local bar prior to the crash. **** Early morning crash claims three July 31, 2005 Three people, including a two year old, were killed in an early morning collision on U.S. 95 just south of Bonners Ferry, and a Naples man is in jail facing vehicular manslaughter charges. Corrected According to the Idaho State Police, Luke Peterson, 26, Naples, was traveling south on U.S. 95 at about 3:19 a.m. July 29 in a 2000 Dodge pickup when he veered into the northbound lane near milepost 504, hitting a 2001 Plymouth Neon driven by Tabitha Saunders, 21, Bonners Ferry, head on. Both vehicles careened off the road and into the ditch. Bart Bartron, 24, home on leave from the U.S. Army from his duty station at Fort Richardson, Alaska, died at the scene, and Tabitha and Kjestine Saunders, two years old, died at Boundary Community Hospital. Two month old Lyssa Saunders was flown by MedStar helicopter to Sacred Heart Medical Center. Editor's note: The initial version of this article erroneously indicated Peterson was home on leave from the military. I regret the error. Additional Comments: Boundary County, Idaho Volunteer submission - No relation to the deceased. 10 August 2005 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/id/boundary/obits/b/bartron184gob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/idfiles/ File size: 9.5 Kb