‘A full room:’ Community remembers lost Iron Dog racer

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - A community of hundreds remembered one of their own Saturday at a memorial for Wasilla resident and Iron Dog racer Skye Rench.

Rench was one of two who went missing in an ATV accident in early March, when the vehicle broke through the ice. A memorial was held at Teeland Middle School on Saturday, followed by a dinner at a local restaurant where family and friends reminisced about Rench’s life.

“It was a full room, standing room only and for every person that was there, there’s probably five to 10 that couldn’t be there,” said Rench’s childhood friend Cody Lankford.

Among those at the memorial were Rench’s mother, Stacy Calder, and his fiancée, Heidi Goozen.

“I am so proud of that young man. I am so proud of him,” Calder said. “And being here and seeing the outpouring and the support of the community, I am so proud of him.”

Calder said he was adventurous from birth, and loved exploring the state he grew up in.

“That kid was true Alaskan through and through,” Calder said. “I left the state 10 years ago, and when I asked if he wanted to come with me and he said, ‘No, Mom, Alaska is where I belong.’ And he was right. He lived the Alaskan adventure he lived, lived fullest.”

Rench enjoyed riding snowmachines and participated in the 2025 Iron Dog snow machine race, a bucket list item for him.

“It was like a release to him, like a therapy almost,” Goozen said. “And it was an easy way to get all of his friends together and just enjoy themselves.”

Many of his friends helped Rench with his Iron Dog venture. Many of them wore his number 11 at the memorial. The machine that Rench raced in was also on display at the memorials.

“When he loved, he loved with his whole body, his whole heart,” Calder said. “And you always knew what Skye was feeling because he just loved to be in the middle of everything.”

Calder said it was heartwarming to see the community support on Saturday, but that the grieving process has been difficult.

“What I’m going to miss is his hugs,“ Calder said. “Because when Skye hugged, he hugged with his entire self. You knew that you were the most important person in that room when you were getting a hug from Skye.”

It has been over one week since Rench went missing, and while active searches have been suspended, Calder said she hopes her son can come home at some point.

Goozen and Rench were set to be married in the summer, and she said it has been a difficult couple of weeks, with emotions coming in waves.

“I don’t want to reflect on this and think of it as such a negative thing,” Goozen said. “I want to celebrate his life for the rest of my life and always keep him in my mind and around all these people here. Keep him alive as we can.”

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

Copyright 2025 KTUU. All rights reserved.