Former Y-K Delta state representative Anthony “Tony” Vaska died from cancer on Sept. 29. He was 73 years old.
Vaska was born and raised in Kalskag, and had been living with his wife, Viola Vaska, in Anchorage. She confirmed that her husband passed away on Sept. 29 at 6:45 p.m.
Vaska represented Bethel and the Y-K Delta in the state legislature from 1981 to 1984. Vaska held a number of other influential roles throughout his life. He served as the director of the Yup’ik Language Center at the Kuskokwim Community College. During the Vietnam War, he was a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. He also worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Bethel, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation.
KYUK will be producing a longer story to remember Vaska’s life.
Editor's note: The original headline of this story was "Former Y-K Delta representative Tony Vaska has passed away"
