JoeL Heck

February 3, 1929 - October 28, 2024

JoeL Heck, 95, passed away on October 28, 2024, near Portland, OR. He was born February 3, 1929, in Harmon, ND to Florentina (Berger) and Phillip Heck.

JoeL grew up in ND and WA. He joined the Army in 1946 and served in the U.S. and Okinawa. In 1953 at the University of Washington he met Ann Jeanette Hughes, who became his wife. In 1961 they moved with their children to Alaska and in 1963 homesteaded near Talkeetna.

He taught in the Upper Susitna Valley and was a founding member of the Sunshine Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

JoeL is survived by his sister Maria Simmons, his children Wendy (Jeff) Coffin, Kim (Jennifer) Heck, Melani (Bobby) Ament, and Timothy Heck, 12 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, his parents, and five siblings.

He lived his motto: "Do something, even if it's wrong unless you know it's wrong."

A celebration of JoeL’s life will be held 2 to 4 p.m., Sunday, July 27, 2025, at Sunshine SDA Church, Talkeetna, AK. Please call (800)-836-0364 to leave a message and/or RSVP.