Updated Aug. 12th at 5:11 p.m.
On Tuesday, Aug. 17th, former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens will be lying in repose at All Saints Episcopal Church, located at 545 w. 8th Ave.. Members of the public are invited to pay their respects between 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m..
Mourners are also invited to gather at the Anchorage Baptist Temple on Wednesday, Aug. 18 at 2 p.m. for Stevens' funeral. Stevens and four others died Monday in a plane crash near Dillingham. ABT is located at 6401 E. Northern Lights Blvd. The service is open to the public.
Eight days before his death, Stevens attended a Sunday service at the church accompanied by U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and U.S. Rep. Don Young. Pastor Jerry Prevo spent a few minutes chatting with the trio in front of the congregation. He remarked on Stevens' healthy appearance and noted that at 86 years old "Alaska's senior statesman" was "still going and going strong."
The exchange was recorded and ABT has posted video of Stevens' appearance on its website.
Prevo asked Stevens to talk about what he'd been up to since exiting public office. Everybody wants to know "What's Sen. Stevens doing today?" Prevo prodded as he handed Stevens the microphone.
Before Stevens revealed how he was filling his life as an ex-senator, he spoke of "that ordeal of mine," referring to his criminal trial, and of the near-daily spiritual guidance Prevo and others at ABT had offered in the days leading up to trial and the ultimate dismissal of his case. If Prevo had taught him one thing, it was that "prayers can be answered," Stevens said.
He then spoke of opening up a consulting firm, a task that had him splitting time between Washington D.C. and Alaska. But most of his time, he said, was being spent doing something he didn't have a lot of time for as a U.S. senator: practicing how to be a good grandfather and renewing bonds within his own family.
Contact Jill Burke at jill(at)alaskadispatch.com.