While Steve Lovell had only been a member of the Wasilla City Council for a short time, Wasilla Mayor Verne Rupright says he will be sorely missed.
On Sunday, officials say Lovell was building a motorbike trail for his grandson when he was thrown from a heavy piece of machinery he was operating and crushed.
This was the second tragedy for the Lovell family since October 2012 when Steve's son Shannon went missing. In May, Shannon was found dead in a lake off of Lake Shore Loop.
Since the time of Shannon's disappearance, officials say Steve had been raising Shannon's 13-year-old son and 2-month-old daughter.
Colleagues described Steve as a very opinionated individual who always did his homework and was very well versed in government.
"This was an individual that just had a big heart, he was the type of individual giving you the shirt off his back even if he didn't have a shirt left, he was just very good people," Wasilla Mayor Verne Rupright, said. "Life is short and things can end so suddenly, so you know we ought to all reflect on that and treat each other better and remember those kind of things because people can be lost so quickly."
Lovell was elected to the Wasilla City Council in October 2012. He was 56-years-old.
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