Cortney Jay Sacks (CJ) (7/28/83 – 4/11/16) was born in Missoula, MT to Cindy and Jay Sacks. Cort was an amazing spirit with contagious sense of humor – he was always the life of the party and loved to get together with our whole family – large tribe.
He was raised alongside his sister Amanda (AJ) and half-brother Randy. Growing up Cort loved to hunt deer and elk with Jay, go to Jay’s team roping events, work the chutes, ride the horses and practice roping the steer horn dummies. Cort loved to ride horses and play outside. He would go and go until he just literally stopped long enough to fall asleep and we would find him and carry him to bed. Cort was an excellent wrestler and won first place as MT Big Sky State Games champion wrestler (in his age group) for two years in a row. He was a valued wrestler on an AAU team in Billings, MT for three years and then we move to Alaska.
Cort traded wrestling for fishing and he excelled at that too. He loved to catch the big king salmon (20-45lb) on a fly rod because he loved the fight in the big fish.
Cort was a man with a HUGE heart – he couldn’t stand to see people or animals suffering and would do his best to help out in any way he could.
Cort went to school in Piney Point, Maryland and became a merchant marine. Cort moved back to Montana to work concrete with Randy and decided to become a bull rider since Randy hauled to rodeos for team roping.
Cort came back to Alaska and won the AK State Fair bull riding buckle in 2010. He was very proud of that buckle because he won it for his dad.
Cort is preceded in death by his father Jay. He leaves his sister AJ and her husband KC Haas in Anchorage, AK; his brother Randy and wife Christie and family in Hamilton, MT; his mom Cindy in Chugiak, AK and the rest of the tribe in MT and WA.
Mama bear loves you Cortney with all my heart forever and always. I miss you every minute of every day.
There will be a celebration of Cortney’s life in Florence, MT on May 13, 2016. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund at www.justincowboycrisisfund.com.