Dentist who died in snowmobile accident remembered as ‘fun-loving,’ ‘charismatic’ guy who loved to play
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POCATELLO – A Pocatello man killed in a snowmobile crash last weekend was a prominent member of the community.
The Bannock County Coroner’s Office confirmed earlier this week Andrew Stoddard, 42, passed away on Friday, March 3. He owned a dental practice at 1525 Baldy Avenue.
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Officials did not release details about the crash, but Stoddard’s sister, Stephanie Anderson, tells EastIdahoNews.com he was snowmobiling with a friend in Downey and it flipped on top of him.
Anderson remembers her brother as a “fun-loving,” “charismatic” guy who was “inclusive of everybody.”
“He was one of those people who pulled everybody in. A lot of people considered him their friend,” she says. “He loved to play. He was always motorbiking. He especially loved rope swings. If there wasn’t a rope swing on any lake, he would bring a rope and make his own. He loved adventure anytime and the scarier the rope swing, the better.”
Stoddard was born on July 28, 1980 in Logan, Utah, according to his obituary from Wilks Funeral Home.
His family moved to Twin Falls when he was 1 and lived there for eight years before moving to Idaho Falls. He attended Osgood Elementary and graduated from Skyline High School in 1998.
He served a mission in Taiwan for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and became fluent in Mandarin Chinese.
After earning a bachelor’s degree from Idaho State University, he went to dental school at Virginia Commonwealth University.
He and his wife, Brooklyn, moved to Pocatello seven or eight years ago when he opened his clinic, The Center for Dental Excellence.
Anderson says she and her brother had kids similar in age and they went on many outings together. Her favorite memory of Stoddard is their numerous “camping adventures and trips together.”
“We rafted together, we skied together, we went motorbiking and snowmobiling. We really had a lot of fun,” she recalls. “One of my favorite memories with him is when we went camping and he taught all the kids how to play Fugitive (a night game similar to Steal the Flag where each team tries to get from one area to another. If the vehicle’s lights spotlight you, you’re out). My kids just loved that. That was such a fun day.”
A family acquaintance says Stoddard lived life to the fullest and died doing what he loved.
Anderson is grateful for her brother’s legacy of making people laugh and being a great uncle to her kids. Through tears, she explains how much she’s going to miss his kindness and example.
“I’m grateful that I got to be in his life,” she says, choking up.
Stoddard leaves behind his wife, and four kids, Daxton, Ashlyn, Addisyn and Easton.
Funeral services will be held Friday at 11 a.m. inside the Tyhee LDS Stake Center at 12146 West Tyhee Road in Pocatello. A luncheon will follow for family and close friends.