Anchorage Daily News August 27, 2003
Palmer colonist, community leader Pippel dies at age 78
One of Palmer's few remaining colonists, Robert W. "Bob" Pippel, 78, died Aug. 17, 2003, at home in Tucson, Ariz., following a six-month illness. A celebration of his life was Sept. 18 at the Palmer Moose Lodge.
Mr. Pippel was born Oct. 12, 1924, in Robbinsdale, Minn., to Walter and Melva Pippel. His family worked a series of tenant farms until they moved to Palmer in 1935 as part of the Matanuska Colony. In 1940, the family moved Outside, then back to Anchorage the next year. Mr. Pippel graduated from Anchorage High School in 1944 as valedictorian. He then worked for a year as a carpenter building hangars on Elmendorf Air Force Base. A two-year Army hitch followed, mostly spent guarding the airstrip at Northway and keeping fire trucks from freezing. After his discharge, Mr. Pippel homesteaded 80 acres next to his parents' farm in Eagle River and operated a hog ranch for several years. Much of downtown Eagle River is built on that property. His family wrote: "In 1949, he married Kathlyn "Kay" Smith Hamby, the love of his life. She had opened an insurance agency a few years before, and Bob agreed to try selling insurance for a winter. To his surprise, he found he liked it, and he taught himself the finer points of the business. He and Kay operated Pippel Insurance Agency until their retirement in 1986. After retiring, he divided his time between Arizona and Alaska. "Bob was active in the community and had many hobbies. He was a 50-year member of the Palmer Elks Lodge, the Palmer Moose Lodge and the Palmer Kiwanis Club. He was on Palmer's first Planning and Zoning Board. He served on the credit union's credit committee for many years, umpired Little League baseball for 12 years and helped organize St. Michael's Slippery Gulch booth at the state fair. "Bob was an avid hunter, fisherman and outdoorsman. He hunted the Oshetna basin and Bald Mountain ridge in Willow. In later years he hunted sheep in the Wrangell Mountains. "Having worked on his parents' various vegetable farms from the time he was a little boy, he was naturally an excellent gardener. He donated much of his produce to the local food bank. "Bob loved poetry and could recite many poems from memory. He had a passion for opera and enjoyed listening to Broadway musicals. He could often be heard around the house or out in the yard singing arias and show tunes. Blessed with a strong tenor voice, he soloed each year in the Kiwanis Minstrel Show. In retirement he took up tennis and became a regular at the Palmer tennis courts. He also enjoyed playing poker. "Bob was a truly good man -- a loyal friend to many and an active member of his community. He was an easy-going person with a good sense of humor. Always optimistic, he was a "glass-half-full" sort of guy. He was a devoted husband, a loving father and a doting grandfather. His family, friends and community will miss him."
Mr. Pippel is survived by his sons and daughters-in-law, Bill and Phyllis of Tucson and Tony and Mimi of Palmer; grandsons, Rob and Bill Pippel of Palmer; brother and sister-in-law, David and Marion Pippel of Palmer; and sister and brother-in-law, Karyle and Jack Palmer of El Cajon, Calif. Mr. Pippel was preceded in death by his wife of 51 years, Kay; second son, Mike; parents, Walt and Melva; sister, Gayle; and brothers, Jim and Jack.
Palmer colonist, community leader Pippel dies at age 78
One of Palmer's few remaining colonists, Robert W. "Bob" Pippel, 78, died Aug. 17, 2003, at home in Tucson, Ariz., following a six-month illness. A celebration of his life was Sept. 18 at the Palmer Moose Lodge.
Mr. Pippel was born Oct. 12, 1924, in Robbinsdale, Minn., to Walter and Melva Pippel. His family worked a series of tenant farms until they moved to Palmer in 1935 as part of the Matanuska Colony. In 1940, the family moved Outside, then back to Anchorage the next year. Mr. Pippel graduated from Anchorage High School in 1944 as valedictorian. He then worked for a year as a carpenter building hangars on Elmendorf Air Force Base. A two-year Army hitch followed, mostly spent guarding the airstrip at Northway and keeping fire trucks from freezing. After his discharge, Mr. Pippel homesteaded 80 acres next to his parents' farm in Eagle River and operated a hog ranch for several years. Much of downtown Eagle River is built on that property. His family wrote: "In 1949, he married Kathlyn "Kay" Smith Hamby, the love of his life. She had opened an insurance agency a few years before, and Bob agreed to try selling insurance for a winter. To his surprise, he found he liked it, and he taught himself the finer points of the business. He and Kay operated Pippel Insurance Agency until their retirement in 1986. After retiring, he divided his time between Arizona and Alaska. "Bob was active in the community and had many hobbies. He was a 50-year member of the Palmer Elks Lodge, the Palmer Moose Lodge and the Palmer Kiwanis Club. He was on Palmer's first Planning and Zoning Board. He served on the credit union's credit committee for many years, umpired Little League baseball for 12 years and helped organize St. Michael's Slippery Gulch booth at the state fair. "Bob was an avid hunter, fisherman and outdoorsman. He hunted the Oshetna basin and Bald Mountain ridge in Willow. In later years he hunted sheep in the Wrangell Mountains. "Having worked on his parents' various vegetable farms from the time he was a little boy, he was naturally an excellent gardener. He donated much of his produce to the local food bank. "Bob loved poetry and could recite many poems from memory. He had a passion for opera and enjoyed listening to Broadway musicals. He could often be heard around the house or out in the yard singing arias and show tunes. Blessed with a strong tenor voice, he soloed each year in the Kiwanis Minstrel Show. In retirement he took up tennis and became a regular at the Palmer tennis courts. He also enjoyed playing poker. "Bob was a truly good man -- a loyal friend to many and an active member of his community. He was an easy-going person with a good sense of humor. Always optimistic, he was a "glass-half-full" sort of guy. He was a devoted husband, a loving father and a doting grandfather. His family, friends and community will miss him."
Mr. Pippel is survived by his sons and daughters-in-law, Bill and Phyllis of Tucson and Tony and Mimi of Palmer; grandsons, Rob and Bill Pippel of Palmer; brother and sister-in-law, David and Marion Pippel of Palmer; and sister and brother-in-law, Karyle and Jack Palmer of El Cajon, Calif. Mr. Pippel was preceded in death by his wife of 51 years, Kay; second son, Mike; parents, Walt and Melva; sister, Gayle; and brothers, Jim and Jack.
Anchorage Daily News August 27, 2003
Palmer colonist, community leader Pippel dies at age 78
One of Palmer's few remaining colonists, Robert W. "Bob" Pippel, 78, died Aug. 17, 2003, at home in Tucson, Ariz., following a six-month illness. A celebration of his life was Sept. 18 at the Palmer Moose Lodge.
Mr. Pippel was born Oct. 12, 1924, in Robbinsdale, Minn., to Walter and Melva Pippel. His family worked a series of tenant farms until they moved to Palmer in 1935 as part of the Matanuska Colony. In 1940, the family moved Outside, then back to Anchorage the next year. Mr. Pippel graduated from Anchorage High School in 1944 as valedictorian. He then worked for a year as a carpenter building hangars on Elmendorf Air Force Base. A two-year Army hitch followed, mostly spent guarding the airstrip at Northway and keeping fire trucks from freezing. After his discharge, Mr. Pippel homesteaded 80 acres next to his parents' farm in Eagle River and operated a hog ranch for several years. Much of downtown Eagle River is built on that property. His family wrote: "In 1949, he married Kathlyn "Kay" Smith Hamby, the love of his life. She had opened an insurance agency a few years before, and Bob agreed to try selling insurance for a winter. To his surprise, he found he liked it, and he taught himself the finer points of the business. He and Kay operated Pippel Insurance Agency until their retirement in 1986. After retiring, he divided his time between Arizona and Alaska. "Bob was active in the community and had many hobbies. He was a 50-year member of the Palmer Elks Lodge, the Palmer Moose Lodge and the Palmer Kiwanis Club. He was on Palmer's first Planning and Zoning Board. He served on the credit union's credit committee for many years, umpired Little League baseball for 12 years and helped organize St. Michael's Slippery Gulch booth at the state fair. "Bob was an avid hunter, fisherman and outdoorsman. He hunted the Oshetna basin and Bald Mountain ridge in Willow. In later years he hunted sheep in the Wrangell Mountains. "Having worked on his parents' various vegetable farms from the time he was a little boy, he was naturally an excellent gardener. He donated much of his produce to the local food bank. "Bob loved poetry and could recite many poems from memory. He had a passion for opera and enjoyed listening to Broadway musicals. He could often be heard around the house or out in the yard singing arias and show tunes. Blessed with a strong tenor voice, he soloed each year in the Kiwanis Minstrel Show. In retirement he took up tennis and became a regular at the Palmer tennis courts. He also enjoyed playing poker. "Bob was a truly good man -- a loyal friend to many and an active member of his community. He was an easy-going person with a good sense of humor. Always optimistic, he was a "glass-half-full" sort of guy. He was a devoted husband, a loving father and a doting grandfather. His family, friends and community will miss him."
Mr. Pippel is survived by his sons and daughters-in-law, Bill and Phyllis of Tucson and Tony and Mimi of Palmer; grandsons, Rob and Bill Pippel of Palmer; brother and sister-in-law, David and Marion Pippel of Palmer; and sister and brother-in-law, Karyle and Jack Palmer of El Cajon, Calif. Mr. Pippel was preceded in death by his wife of 51 years, Kay; second son, Mike; parents, Walt and Melva; sister, Gayle; and brothers, Jim and Jack.
Palmer colonist, community leader Pippel dies at age 78
One of Palmer's few remaining colonists, Robert W. "Bob" Pippel, 78, died Aug. 17, 2003, at home in Tucson, Ariz., following a six-month illness. A celebration of his life was Sept. 18 at the Palmer Moose Lodge.
Mr. Pippel was born Oct. 12, 1924, in Robbinsdale, Minn., to Walter and Melva Pippel. His family worked a series of tenant farms until they moved to Palmer in 1935 as part of the Matanuska Colony. In 1940, the family moved Outside, then back to Anchorage the next year. Mr. Pippel graduated from Anchorage High School in 1944 as valedictorian. He then worked for a year as a carpenter building hangars on Elmendorf Air Force Base. A two-year Army hitch followed, mostly spent guarding the airstrip at Northway and keeping fire trucks from freezing. After his discharge, Mr. Pippel homesteaded 80 acres next to his parents' farm in Eagle River and operated a hog ranch for several years. Much of downtown Eagle River is built on that property. His family wrote: "In 1949, he married Kathlyn "Kay" Smith Hamby, the love of his life. She had opened an insurance agency a few years before, and Bob agreed to try selling insurance for a winter. To his surprise, he found he liked it, and he taught himself the finer points of the business. He and Kay operated Pippel Insurance Agency until their retirement in 1986. After retiring, he divided his time between Arizona and Alaska. "Bob was active in the community and had many hobbies. He was a 50-year member of the Palmer Elks Lodge, the Palmer Moose Lodge and the Palmer Kiwanis Club. He was on Palmer's first Planning and Zoning Board. He served on the credit union's credit committee for many years, umpired Little League baseball for 12 years and helped organize St. Michael's Slippery Gulch booth at the state fair. "Bob was an avid hunter, fisherman and outdoorsman. He hunted the Oshetna basin and Bald Mountain ridge in Willow. In later years he hunted sheep in the Wrangell Mountains. "Having worked on his parents' various vegetable farms from the time he was a little boy, he was naturally an excellent gardener. He donated much of his produce to the local food bank. "Bob loved poetry and could recite many poems from memory. He had a passion for opera and enjoyed listening to Broadway musicals. He could often be heard around the house or out in the yard singing arias and show tunes. Blessed with a strong tenor voice, he soloed each year in the Kiwanis Minstrel Show. In retirement he took up tennis and became a regular at the Palmer tennis courts. He also enjoyed playing poker. "Bob was a truly good man -- a loyal friend to many and an active member of his community. He was an easy-going person with a good sense of humor. Always optimistic, he was a "glass-half-full" sort of guy. He was a devoted husband, a loving father and a doting grandfather. His family, friends and community will miss him."
Mr. Pippel is survived by his sons and daughters-in-law, Bill and Phyllis of Tucson and Tony and Mimi of Palmer; grandsons, Rob and Bill Pippel of Palmer; brother and sister-in-law, David and Marion Pippel of Palmer; and sister and brother-in-law, Karyle and Jack Palmer of El Cajon, Calif. Mr. Pippel was preceded in death by his wife of 51 years, Kay; second son, Mike; parents, Walt and Melva; sister, Gayle; and brothers, Jim and Jack.
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