Cecil “Rick” Browner Jr.

Wasilla resident Cecil “Rick” Browner Jr. 86, passed away peacefully Aug. 9, 2013 at Northern Living Centers in Wasilla. He was born July 19, 1927 in Pitcher, Okla.

Rick grew up all over the Midwest and West Coast. At age 15, he enlisted with the U.S. Navy during World War II. He served three years and was stationed all over the South Pacific.

In 1948, he re-enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corp, where he spent the next 17 years, including serving in the Korean War. He honorably retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1965.

He then worked for JC Penny for 20 years delivering furniture until retiring from there in 1992.

Rick married Vivian Howard in 1946. They were happily married for 66 years until her passing in January 2013.

He and his family first moved to Alaska as a deployment in 1959 and fell in love with the state. After retiring in Michigan, he returned to Alaska with his family. Rick and Vivian made Wasilla their home in the late 1970s and settled into their log home in 1981.

Known for his friendly talkative demeanor, Rick was always loved by all he met. He was a hard-working, warm-hearted man who loved his family with every fiber of himself. He had many friends over the years and would do anything he could to help them. He loved camping, watching his grandchildren grow and then his great-grandchildren. He loved telling stories while playing a game of cards.

Rick was preceded in death by his mother and father, Cecil and Nan Browner of Riverside, Calif.; his sister, Shirley Frazee of Moreno Valley, Calif.; and his wife, Vivian Browner of Wasilla.

Rick is survived by his daughter, Suzanne Browner of Anchorage; his daughter, Pamela and Jim Holen of Astoria, Ore.; his son, Michael and Karin Beumer-Browner of Santa Cruz, Calif.; his brother, Robert and Gloria Browner of Granite Bay, Calif.; his grandsons, Davin and Cara O’Brien-Holen of Anchorage, and Christopher and Jennifer Holen of Astoria, Ore; and his granddaughter, Andrea and Ian Williams of Wasilla. He is furthermore survived by his great-grandchildren, Ruari O’Brien Holen, Anaise Holen, and Konner and Ashlynn Williams.

A funeral service will be held at Ft. Richardson National Cemetery at 10:30 a.m., Aug. 23, 2013. Please meet at Ft. Richardson/Arctic Valley gate at 10 a.m. for procession to cemetery.