The husband of Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, died in a “plane accident” in Alaska on Wednesday morning, her congressional office announced in a statement.
“We are devastated to share that Mary’s husband, Eugene Peltola Jr., — ‘Buzzy’ to all of us who knew and loved him — passed away earlier this morning following a plane accident in Alaska,” Peltola’s chief of staff, Anton McParland, said in a statement.
The statement didn’t contain details about the accident, such as where it occurred and how it happened.
“He was one of those people that was obnoxiously good at everything. He had a delightful sense of humor that lightened the darkest moments. He was definitely the cook in the family,” McParland said. “He was completely devoted to his parents, kids, siblings, extended family and friends — and he simply adored Mary. We are heartbroken for the family’s loss.”
The congresswoman is returning home to Alaska to be with her family, McParland said, and has asked for privacy. House lawmakers returned to Washington this week after a lengthy summer recess.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in a statement that he’s “deeply saddened” about the tragic news.
“The entire House Democratic Caucus is mourning the loss of Buzzy and we are lifting Mary and the Peltola family up in prayer. We will be there for her in any way she needs during this unimaginable time of tragedy,” he said.
Peltola, 50, has served in Congress since September 2022 after winning a special election to succeed Rep. Don Young, a Republican who died at 88 earlier that year. Peltola, a former state legislator, beat GOP candidates Nick Begich and former Gov. Sarah Palin in the race, and became the first Alaska native to serve in Congress.
Peltola was then elected to a full two-year term last November, defeating Palin in the general election.
Several well-known politicians have died in Alaska plane crashes. In 1972, then-House Majority Leader Thomas Hale Boggs Sr., D-La., and Begich’s grandfather, Rep. Nick Begich, D-Alaska, were both aboard a small plane flying from Anchorage to Juneau that disappeared. Neither the plane nor the passengers’ remains were ever found.
In 2010, former Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, was killed in a plane crash along with four others; four people survived.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
