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Families in shock after brothers are killed in snowmobile accident

67-year-old Stephen Sattler and 64-year-old Edward Sattler, who died when their snowmobiles went through the ice over the weekend on Raquette Pond in Tupper Lake. (Photo provided)

BLASDELL — Family members of two Blasdell men are still in shock after the brothers died in a snowmobiling accident in Tupper Lake.

The bodies of 67-year-old Stephen Sattler and 64-year-old Edward Sattler were found around 10:30 a.m. Monday in Raquette Pond.

Family members knew something was wrong Sunday night, but they said snowmobiling has been a part of Ed and Steve’s identities — something they’ve done their entire lives, and always safely.

That’s why this tragedy was completely unexpected. Linda Sattler, didn’t find out until Monday morning that her dad, Steve Sattler, and her Uncle Ed were missing. They were staying at their family house in town of Piercefield.

She said, “It’s wilderness up there; you can go hundreds of miles without seeing anyone.”

Neighbors there tipped them off that something was wrong.

Sattler said, “They asked, ‘Have you heard from Steve and Ed? Because we noticed the porch light is still on, since Saturday, and that’s not normal. We don’t see any fresh tracks from the snowmobiles either. Did something happen?'”

As state police and state Department of Environmental Conservation police and forest rangers started searching for the Sattler brothers, family members still held on to hope they’d be found alive.

“I guess I really didn’t realize how much I was holding on to that hope until we found out that wasn’t the case,” Linda said.

Monday morning, a state police helicopter found their bodies in 5 to 10 feet of water. Growing up, always so cautious to avoid ice, how this happened is something family members still cant wrap their minds around.

“Maybe it was storming so bad they didn’t realize, and by the time they realized where they were, it was too late,” Linda said.

It’s hard for the Sattler family to look at photos of Ed and Steve knowing this close family unit will never be the same. But they say how they will be remembered is unanimous.

Sattler said, “They loved hard and played hard. They were brothers and they were each other’s best friends.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the two families with expenses. The donation page is here: https://www.gofundme.com/sattlerbrothers.

(Editor’s note: This article is run with permission of WIVB News 4 of Buffalo.)

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