Anchorage Daily News July 19, 1989
Alaskan Melva Ann Pippel, 89, died July 14 at Valley Hospital following a brief illness. A funeral service was at Kehl's Palmer Chapel. A reception followed at the Palmer Elks Lodge. Visitation was at Kehl's. Burial was at Valley Memory Gardens.
Mrs. Pippel was born Oct. 20, 1899, in Minneapolis. She married Walter Pippel in 1921. Her family says the couple farmed in a number of upper Midwest towns and worked the lumber camps of Mount Shasta, Wash., while raising six children. In 1935, they were recruited to participate in the Matanuska Farm Colony. They arrived in Palmer on May 1, 1935. According to family members, the couple was very successful farming their fertile Matanuska Valley land, and Mrs. Pippel often said these were the happiest days of her life. Because of conflicts with Colony organizers, they sold their farm in 1939 and returned to the Midwest. Finding opportunity to be limited in comparison with their Alaska experience, the Pippels returned to Anchorage in 1941 and farmed at Sand Lake. In 1944, they moved to Spenard to farm. Then in 1947 they purchased the Nyberg homestead in Eagle River, becoming one of the first families of that community. They farmed Pippel Field, raising a large variety of truck crops for the Anchorage market. Their farm and homestead at the Old Glenn Highway and Eagle River Loop Road became the center of a small frontier community. A family member said that Mrs. Pippel "always had soup and coffee on the old oil stove, and a spare bed in the bunkhouse." She was always ready to help friends in need, and her life was noted for many quiet acts of charity, her family said. In 1964, after her husband suffered a stroke, Mrs. Pippel retired from farming and spent the next five years caring for him. Following his death in 1969, she continued to live in her little yellow house, raising flowers and tending to her cats. In 1984, Mrs. Pippel moved to Palmer to be near her family. She donated her house in Eagle River to the Chugiak Senior Citizens' Center.
Mrs. Pippel is survived by her daughters, Gayle Gumm, of Placerville, Calif., and Karyle Palmer, of El Cajon, Calif.; her sons, Robert and W. David, both of Palmer, James, of Vallejo, Calif., and Jack, of Wenatchee, Wash.; nine grandchildren and eight greatgrandchildren. Pallbearers will be Tony Pippel, James Dennis, Dwight White, Joe DesGranges, Dennis White, Kevin Dennis, James Wallace Jr., Ron DesGranges, Terry White and Bill Pippel. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Pippel Family Memorial, in care of the Palmer Kiwanis Club, P.O. Box 30, Palmer, 99645, for the funding of music scholarships for deserving Palmer students.
Alaskan Melva Ann Pippel, 89, died July 14 at Valley Hospital following a brief illness. A funeral service was at Kehl's Palmer Chapel. A reception followed at the Palmer Elks Lodge. Visitation was at Kehl's. Burial was at Valley Memory Gardens.
Mrs. Pippel was born Oct. 20, 1899, in Minneapolis. She married Walter Pippel in 1921. Her family says the couple farmed in a number of upper Midwest towns and worked the lumber camps of Mount Shasta, Wash., while raising six children. In 1935, they were recruited to participate in the Matanuska Farm Colony. They arrived in Palmer on May 1, 1935. According to family members, the couple was very successful farming their fertile Matanuska Valley land, and Mrs. Pippel often said these were the happiest days of her life. Because of conflicts with Colony organizers, they sold their farm in 1939 and returned to the Midwest. Finding opportunity to be limited in comparison with their Alaska experience, the Pippels returned to Anchorage in 1941 and farmed at Sand Lake. In 1944, they moved to Spenard to farm. Then in 1947 they purchased the Nyberg homestead in Eagle River, becoming one of the first families of that community. They farmed Pippel Field, raising a large variety of truck crops for the Anchorage market. Their farm and homestead at the Old Glenn Highway and Eagle River Loop Road became the center of a small frontier community. A family member said that Mrs. Pippel "always had soup and coffee on the old oil stove, and a spare bed in the bunkhouse." She was always ready to help friends in need, and her life was noted for many quiet acts of charity, her family said. In 1964, after her husband suffered a stroke, Mrs. Pippel retired from farming and spent the next five years caring for him. Following his death in 1969, she continued to live in her little yellow house, raising flowers and tending to her cats. In 1984, Mrs. Pippel moved to Palmer to be near her family. She donated her house in Eagle River to the Chugiak Senior Citizens' Center.
Mrs. Pippel is survived by her daughters, Gayle Gumm, of Placerville, Calif., and Karyle Palmer, of El Cajon, Calif.; her sons, Robert and W. David, both of Palmer, James, of Vallejo, Calif., and Jack, of Wenatchee, Wash.; nine grandchildren and eight greatgrandchildren. Pallbearers will be Tony Pippel, James Dennis, Dwight White, Joe DesGranges, Dennis White, Kevin Dennis, James Wallace Jr., Ron DesGranges, Terry White and Bill Pippel. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Pippel Family Memorial, in care of the Palmer Kiwanis Club, P.O. Box 30, Palmer, 99645, for the funding of music scholarships for deserving Palmer students.
Anchorage Daily News July 19, 1989
Alaskan Melva Ann Pippel, 89, died July 14 at Valley Hospital following a brief illness. A funeral service was at Kehl's Palmer Chapel. A reception followed at the Palmer Elks Lodge. Visitation was at Kehl's. Burial was at Valley Memory Gardens.
Mrs. Pippel was born Oct. 20, 1899, in Minneapolis. She married Walter Pippel in 1921. Her family says the couple farmed in a number of upper Midwest towns and worked the lumber camps of Mount Shasta, Wash., while raising six children. In 1935, they were recruited to participate in the Matanuska Farm Colony. They arrived in Palmer on May 1, 1935. According to family members, the couple was very successful farming their fertile Matanuska Valley land, and Mrs. Pippel often said these were the happiest days of her life. Because of conflicts with Colony organizers, they sold their farm in 1939 and returned to the Midwest. Finding opportunity to be limited in comparison with their Alaska experience, the Pippels returned to Anchorage in 1941 and farmed at Sand Lake. In 1944, they moved to Spenard to farm. Then in 1947 they purchased the Nyberg homestead in Eagle River, becoming one of the first families of that community. They farmed Pippel Field, raising a large variety of truck crops for the Anchorage market. Their farm and homestead at the Old Glenn Highway and Eagle River Loop Road became the center of a small frontier community. A family member said that Mrs. Pippel "always had soup and coffee on the old oil stove, and a spare bed in the bunkhouse." She was always ready to help friends in need, and her life was noted for many quiet acts of charity, her family said. In 1964, after her husband suffered a stroke, Mrs. Pippel retired from farming and spent the next five years caring for him. Following his death in 1969, she continued to live in her little yellow house, raising flowers and tending to her cats. In 1984, Mrs. Pippel moved to Palmer to be near her family. She donated her house in Eagle River to the Chugiak Senior Citizens' Center.
Mrs. Pippel is survived by her daughters, Gayle Gumm, of Placerville, Calif., and Karyle Palmer, of El Cajon, Calif.; her sons, Robert and W. David, both of Palmer, James, of Vallejo, Calif., and Jack, of Wenatchee, Wash.; nine grandchildren and eight greatgrandchildren. Pallbearers will be Tony Pippel, James Dennis, Dwight White, Joe DesGranges, Dennis White, Kevin Dennis, James Wallace Jr., Ron DesGranges, Terry White and Bill Pippel. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Pippel Family Memorial, in care of the Palmer Kiwanis Club, P.O. Box 30, Palmer, 99645, for the funding of music scholarships for deserving Palmer students.
Alaskan Melva Ann Pippel, 89, died July 14 at Valley Hospital following a brief illness. A funeral service was at Kehl's Palmer Chapel. A reception followed at the Palmer Elks Lodge. Visitation was at Kehl's. Burial was at Valley Memory Gardens.
Mrs. Pippel was born Oct. 20, 1899, in Minneapolis. She married Walter Pippel in 1921. Her family says the couple farmed in a number of upper Midwest towns and worked the lumber camps of Mount Shasta, Wash., while raising six children. In 1935, they were recruited to participate in the Matanuska Farm Colony. They arrived in Palmer on May 1, 1935. According to family members, the couple was very successful farming their fertile Matanuska Valley land, and Mrs. Pippel often said these were the happiest days of her life. Because of conflicts with Colony organizers, they sold their farm in 1939 and returned to the Midwest. Finding opportunity to be limited in comparison with their Alaska experience, the Pippels returned to Anchorage in 1941 and farmed at Sand Lake. In 1944, they moved to Spenard to farm. Then in 1947 they purchased the Nyberg homestead in Eagle River, becoming one of the first families of that community. They farmed Pippel Field, raising a large variety of truck crops for the Anchorage market. Their farm and homestead at the Old Glenn Highway and Eagle River Loop Road became the center of a small frontier community. A family member said that Mrs. Pippel "always had soup and coffee on the old oil stove, and a spare bed in the bunkhouse." She was always ready to help friends in need, and her life was noted for many quiet acts of charity, her family said. In 1964, after her husband suffered a stroke, Mrs. Pippel retired from farming and spent the next five years caring for him. Following his death in 1969, she continued to live in her little yellow house, raising flowers and tending to her cats. In 1984, Mrs. Pippel moved to Palmer to be near her family. She donated her house in Eagle River to the Chugiak Senior Citizens' Center.
Mrs. Pippel is survived by her daughters, Gayle Gumm, of Placerville, Calif., and Karyle Palmer, of El Cajon, Calif.; her sons, Robert and W. David, both of Palmer, James, of Vallejo, Calif., and Jack, of Wenatchee, Wash.; nine grandchildren and eight greatgrandchildren. Pallbearers will be Tony Pippel, James Dennis, Dwight White, Joe DesGranges, Dennis White, Kevin Dennis, James Wallace Jr., Ron DesGranges, Terry White and Bill Pippel. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Pippel Family Memorial, in care of the Palmer Kiwanis Club, P.O. Box 30, Palmer, 99645, for the funding of music scholarships for deserving Palmer students.
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