Bjerkens memorial service set for today

PALMER — A memorial service is at Colony High School at 3 p.m., Friday for Randy and Doris Bjerken, who were killed on Mother’s Day while walking down a sidewalk in Scottsdale, Ariz.

A Bjerken family donation account has been established at AlaskaUSA Federal Credit Union to help offset funeral and education costs. The account is No. 1600348.

Doris Bjerken was an administrative secretary at Colony High School and her husband, Randy Bjerken, had served as a minister at the Matanuska Assembly of God since 1995.

The couple was reportedly visiting Arizona on a Matanuska Assembly of God retreat.

According to KNXV television news in Scottsdale, a 23-year-old male driver drove a GMC sport utility vehicle onto the sidewalk and struck the couple and a power pole. Both people were pronounced dead at nearby hospitals.

Scottsdale authorities said they don’t believe drugs or alcohol played a part in the accident, but it is still under investigation. The driver was treated and released for nonlife-threatening injuries.

Contact K.T. McKee at kate.mckee@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.