Few people are as passionate about garbage as Roger Saterfiel was. 

He made it his life’s work and, in doing so, improved lives for generations of Kootenai County residents. 

“He always said garbage has been good to us,” his wife, Stephanie Saterfiel, said. 

Saterfiel, who served for 16 years on the Hayden City Council and spent 12 years as director of Solid Waste for Kootenai County, died Saturday. He was 73.

At the time of Saterfiel’s death, he and his wife were weeks away from their 38th anniversary. 

“Until the very end, he was taking care of me like he always has,” Stephanie said. “He was such a good man.” 

A family man through and through, Saterfiel’s final words were the names of his grandchildren, Payton and Arlo. Stephanie said the children were the lights of his life.  

“He never knew he could love a human that much,” she said. 

During Tuesday night’s city council meeting, Hayden Mayor Alan Davis called for a moment of silence to honor Saterfiel, who served on the board from 2008 to 2024. 

“Roger, to me, represents the kind of citizen whose impact is felt well beyond their time here with us,” Davis said. 

Stephanie said her husband cherished his four terms on the city council. 

“He loved giving back to the community,” she said. “It was never about personal or political gain. It was about doing the right thing.” 

Saterfiel deeply respected many of the councilors he served with, including Ed DePriest. 

The two butted heads at first, DePriest said. But as they got to know each other, they forged a friendship. 

“He was a good man,” DePriest said. “He was a longtime councilmember who had the best interests of the city and the people of Hayden at the root of everything he did.” 

Saterfiel was president of the Idaho State Solid Waste Association and served on the Hayden Area Regional Sewer Board. He served on the North Idaho Fair Board for a decade and was president of the Idaho Association of Fair and Rodeo. 

During his 28 years with Kootenai County Solid Waste, Saterfiel played a significant role in the conception of the Ramsey Transfer Station, Fighting Creek Landfill and the Prairie Transfer Station. 

“One of my proudest accomplishments is the Methane Gas to Energy project at Fighting Creek,” he said in 2023. 

As an operations manager in the '90s, Saterfield worked together with former Solid Waste Director Steve Wulf to transform how Kootenai County managed its trash. 

Kootenai County’s landfill was the first in the state of Idaho to have active gas extraction, Wulf said, and its solid waste facility was the first to implement a system for handling hazardous household waste. 

“We were at the cutting edge of implementing all the new changes in the law at the time,” he said. “I was the idea guy and (Roger) was the guy who had to make it happen in the field.” 

Wulf said Saterfiel took pride in the appearance of Solid Waste facilities. 

“Roger made sure those facilities were clean,” he said. “A lot of people commented that it doesn’t even feel like a dump area. It was organized. It made sense. He made sure that was one of the characteristics that we carried forward throughout my administration and his.” 

Saterfiel’s wife saw his dedication to cleanliness firsthand. 

“He would wake me up and say, ‘Stephanie, put on your robe and slippers, we need to go to Fighting Creek for a smell test,’” she said. “By keeping the smell down and keeping the facility clean, that’s being a good neighbor. He always said that.” 

Solid Waste Director John Phillips began working for the county when Saterfiel hired him in 2000. 

“I know he had a deep passion for doing as good a job as he could for the citizens of Kootenai County,” he said. 

Phillips said Saterfiel instilled in his staff a sense of personal ownership in their jobs.

“It’s just garbage, but at the same time, every single person in Kootenai County relies on Solid Waste to take their garbage and make it magically disappear,” he said. “Roger made us all understand that our jobs are important and it’s important to do as good a job as you possibly could do for the least amount of money.” 

Phillips said Fighting Creek Landfill has saved Kootenai County residents a substantial amount of money in disposal fees and will continue to do so until it closes around 2052. It’s part of Saterfiel’s legacy. 

“In reality, he’s saving every family thousands of dollars,” Phillips said. 

Stephanie said her husband’s legacy is his dedication to public service. 

“He loved Hayden,” she said. “He loved his community so much. It was so important to him to do the right thing and he would never, ever jeopardize his integrity for anything.” 

    Roger Saterfiel embraces granddaughter Payton. Courtesy photo.