Harry William Brunnhoelzl

Long-time Valley resident Harry William Brunnhoelzl Jr., 65, died Dec. 3 at home with his family after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.

A memorial service will be at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 19, at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, 432 Fireweed, in Palmer. The Rev. Thomas Brundage will officiate. A hosted reception will be held after the service downstairs at St. Michael’s.

Harry was born April 30, 1944, to Harry and Nancy Brunnhoelzl in Oceanside, N.Y. He graduated from Oceanside High School in 1962 and attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis., for two years.

In 1976, Harry moved with his family to Palmer. He owned three mechanical contracting companies during his time in Alaska and worked until the time of his illness.

Harry was an avid outdoorsman. He loved shotgun shooting and had a vision of building a world-class sporting clay facility in Alaska. Harry enjoyed flying, hunting and spending time at his Canyon Lake property.

The family wrote, “Harry cared deeply about and loved spending time with his family. He was well-known and well-liked by people in the construction trades and shotgun shooting community in Alaska. We will all miss him.”

Harry is survived by his wife of 45 years, Barbara; daughter Faith; son and daughter-in-law Chris and Nicole, all of Palmer; daughter and son-in-law Amy and Chris Musick of Richland, Wash.,; daughter-in-law Arlene of Wasilla; mother and father Nancy and Harry, Sr. of Key Largo, Fla.; mother-in-law Millicent Erickson of Clarks Summit, Pa.; sister and brother-in-law Jo-Ann and Philip Cittadino of West Palm Beach, Fla.; sister-in-law and brother-in-law Susan and Philip Bullwinkel of Clarks Summit, Pa.; brother-in-law and sister-in-law John and Pat Erickson of High Point, N.C.; grandson Jeremiah of Portland, Ore.; grandsons Beau and Daniel of Wasilla; granddaughter and grandson Alyssa and Cade Musick of Richland; grandson and granddaughters Braden, Brooke and Bailey of Palmer; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his maternal grandparents Josephina and Vincenzo Grande; paternal grandparents Frederick and Marie Brunnhoelzl; father-in-law Burton Erickson; and son Harry, III.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center Home Care & Hospice, 950 E Bogard Rd. Ste. 132, Wasilla, AK 99654 or Pancreatic Cancer Research through The Lustgarten Foundation, 1111 Stewart Avenue, Bethpage, NY 11714 or www.lustgarten.org.

Arrangements are with Valley Funeral Home and Crematory in Wasilla.