Who’s Your Hero? Meet the 2026 Local Heroes 

Nominees:

This year, we asked our community a simple question: Who’s your hero? The response was overwhelming. From veterans and first responders to neighbors who quietly show up year after year, the nominations that poured in are a beautiful reflection of what makes Incline Village and Crystal Bay such a special place to call home. Meet the people you chose.

Betsy Garfinkle

Betsy recently retired from IVGID, but her legacy blooms all over Incline Village. For years, she was the one out there gardening and planting flowers on IVGID properties, making our community more beautiful one bed at a time. Her hard work, dedication, and ever-present smile have touched more hearts than she probably knows. A true unsung hero.

Officer Hannah Degoey

Hannah is a hero for the women of Incline Village. As a law enforcement officer, she has gone above and beyond to ensure the safety and well-being of survivors of domestic violence in our community – offering protection, compassion, and consistency when people need it most.

Jeffry Poindexter

Jeff is a veteran whose service never stopped at the uniform. He’s been a pillar of the Incline Village Veterans Club, Rotary, the Military Officers Association, and the Tahoe Business Exchange, and he volunteers every year at the 4th of July Veterans Pancake Breakfast. He’s deeply involved with the Incline High School JROTC program, personally helping distribute scholarships to students who want to serve our country. And right now, he’s working alongside the Veterans Club and local realtors to establish a War Memorial in Incline Village – a lasting tribute to those who gave their lives. Jeff embodies duty, honor, and community in everything he does.

Nominated by the Incline Village Good Neighbor Committee

Denise Bremer

Trying to summarize Denise in a sentence or two? Nearly impossible. She’s chaired the Incline Realtor Board, served on the Fire Board, helped with the 4th of July and St. Patrick’s food distributions, taught classes at the Rec Center, and been an active member of Trampers and Incliners. She watches over pets and never hesitates to help anyone in need. Denise is the kind of neighbor every community hopes to have.

Nominated by a friend

Lourdes Avenier & Ana Porras

Lourdes and Ana saw a gap and filled it. They founded the HOPA program at Incline High School, pairing first-generation students with local professionals for one-on-one mentoring. The impact of that kind of support – someone in your corner who’s been where you’re trying to go – is immeasurable.

Linda Offerdahl

Linda is the kind of person who makes things happen. Always stepping up, always making new ideas work for this community, she’s become a go-to force in Incline Village who brings energy and follow-through to everything she touches.

Nominated by a neighbor

Harry Van Delinder

Harry was a man of quiet service. He didn’t speak about his time stationed in England during World War II until the year 2000 – but when he finally did, what emerged was a remarkable story. The hundreds of letters he exchanged with his parents between 1944 and 1945 are being preserved and will one day be published for generations to come. Harry passed away in 2016, but his legacy lives on. His son Brad calls him his best friend in life, and we can see why.

Nominated by Brad Van Delinder – his son

Steve Conboy

Steve Conboy has spent his career doing something most of us only read about in the news: finding real, lasting solutions to the wildfire crisis threatening our forests, our homes, and our communities. As the founder of Mighty Fire Breaker and CitroTech Wildfire Defense, Steve invented CitroTech – the only fire retardant recognized by the EPA Safer Choice Program, meaning it’s safe for people, pets, and the environment while still being highly effective. His work has helped protect homes, families, and first responders from devastating wildfires, and he’s described by those who know him as an environmentalist, activist, and philanthropist who approaches it all with the heart of a true public servant.

Closer to home, Steve recently opened the Wildfire Pro Shop right here in Incline Village, bringing his mission directly to the community he cares about. He’s been nominated by friends, colleagues, family members, and community members alike – each one pointing to the same thing: a man who saw a problem, dedicated his life to solving it, and never stopped showing up for others along the way.

Nominated by multiple community members. 

Dr. Johanna Koch, Janice & Rosie

Dr. Johanna Koch has served the Incline community as a physician for over forty years and will be retiring next year – a milestone that deserves to be celebrated loudly. Alongside her, retired nurses Janice and Rosie continue providing medical support to local residents simply out of the goodness of their hearts. Together, they represent a lifetime of care that has touched countless lives in this community.

Nominated by a patient

Peter Bonanza

Peter Bonanza was known by everyone in town. For many decades, he was a constant presence in the Incline Village community – someone who, simply by being himself, put a smile on people’s faces. Peter passed away recently, and his loss is felt deeply. We’re grateful to the neighbor who nominated him, and we honor Peter here as someone who reminded us all how much an individual can mean to a place just by showing up with warmth and joy.

Nominated by Christopher Talbot – his friend

Charles Cross

Charles Cross served his country and deeply loved his family. He is remembered and celebrated by his granddaughter Anne Costello, who nominated him with simple, powerful words: “He served our country and deeply loved his family.” Sometimes that says everything.

Nominated by Anne Costello – his granddaughter

Todd Lowe

Todd Lowe has fought for Incline Village residents for a long time – and won. He was a driving force behind the Village League and the landmark lawsuit against unfair Washoe County property taxes, a seventeen-year battle that ultimately benefitted every property owner in this community. He’s also been deeply involved in efforts to explore making Incline Village its own city, working to give residents more control over their own future. As one nominator put it: no one still living has done more to preserve and protect the Incline Village and Crystal Bay way of life than Todd Lowe.

Nominated by multiple community members, including Richard Miner and Diane Becker

Helen Neff

After surviving a near-fatal pedestrian versus car accident, Helen Neff didn’t step back – she stepped up. She became a tireless advocate for road safety for everyone: pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers alike. She’s the driving force behind the widely recognized “Take it Slow, Tahoe” campaign and continues pushing for safety initiatives that protect lives across our region.

Julia Zaitsev

Julia changed a family’s life. As one nominator shared, Julia saved her daughter from years of daily pain – pain that had become a way of life before Julia intervened. The gratitude in that nomination is profound, and it speaks to the kind of transformative impact Julia has had on the people she works with.

Nominated anonymously

Franklin Otis Carroll

Franklin Otis Carroll (the elder) was a pioneering aviator and military leader who “armed the Army Air Force in WWII” as commander of the experimental laboratories at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. He was also the first pilot to land in the cornfield that would become Wright Field – right after WWI. His grandson, who shares his name, nominated him with tremendous pride. A family legacy worth honoring.

Nominated by his grandson, Franklin Otis Carroll

Audrey Suzanne Ayers Carroll

“She has been the rock and anchor of my life for 50 years.” That’s how Franklin Otis Carroll describes his wife Audrey – the strongest, most loving, most loyal person he knows. Behind every great person is often someone even greater, and Audrey sounds like exactly that.

Nominated by her husband, Franklin Otis Carroll

Dave Ward

Dave Ward is a firefighter. To his son Dylan, that – and everything that comes with it – makes him a hero, plain and simple. “My dad is my hero because he is a firefighter and takes care of us.” We couldn’t agree more.

Nominated by Dylan Ward – his son

SPC Robert O’Hare

Robert O’Hare served in the US Army until he passed away in January 2021 from brain cancer. He was a resident of Incline Village who lived his life in service to others – fighting with courage and positivity until the very end, and always ready to help those around him. His mother Cindie nominated him here, and we’re grateful to be able to honor his memory.

Nominated by Cindie O’Hare – his mother

Fire Chief Jason Gibeaut

Beyond his role as fire chief, Jason gives back in quiet, personal ways – helping the disabled, supporting the homeless, and serving as Head of Men’s Ministry at Cornerstone Church. He leads in uniform and out of it.

Nominated by a friend

Lt. Col. Ricardo J. Blanco (USMC, Ret.)

Lt. Col. Blanco has been deployed around the world – El Salvador, Somalia, Iraq (twice) – always ready to defend his country when called upon. His family nominated him here, and we’re proud to recognize his decades of dedicated service.

Nominated by family

Alex “Papa” Sill

Vietnam veteran. Software security expert. Volunteer firefighter. Mr. MacGyver. Porsche lover. And by all accounts, the most incredible dad and grandpa around. Alex “Papa” Sill is the kind of person who quietly accumulates a lifetime of remarkable things – and the people who love him want the world to know it.

Nominated by the Kronenthals & Sills

Julie Malkin-Manning

If you’ve celebrated the 4th of July in Incline Village, you’ve experienced Julie’s magic – you just may not have known it. While families enjoy the parade, festivities, and fireworks, Julie is the one working tirelessly behind the scenes to make it all happen. Her dedication goes far beyond logistics; it’s a reflection of her deep love for this community and her unwavering commitment to making it a place where people feel connected, celebrated, and proud to call home. She’s also known as a standout event planner for IVCBA, always bringing new ideas to life.

Nominated by Linda Offerdahl and Janelle Hibler

Thank you to everyone who submitted a nomination. Every name on this list – and every person who took the time to celebrate someone they admire – is part of what makes this community extraordinary. See you at the parade!