LeRoi Heaven

Longtime Wasilla resident LeRoi Heaven, 71, died Sunday, Sept. 26, 2010, in a car accident on the Alaska Highway between Tok and the Canadian border. His car skidded out of control on an icy patch of road and careened into an oncoming truck.

LeRoi was born in Seldovia on April 10, 1939, and was adopted by Foster and Daisy Heaven of Anchorage. Two years later, his sister, Wythle, was adopted into the family.

LeRoi lived in Anchorage until 1953, when the family moved to Kings Lake Camp near Wasilla. He lived there a year while the family fixed up the farmhouse his parents had purchased at Mile 3 Fairview Loop Road.

LeRoi attended school in Wasilla until his junior year, then transferred to Palmer High so he could participate in the agriculture and shop classes offered, and the Future Farmers of America program. He graduated from Palmer High in 1959.

He was active in 4-H, earning awards in home improvement, gardening and livestock management. From an early age, LeRoi was involved in agriculture. He and his sister sold radishes and lettuce to earn money for their school clothes. He earned two trips in 4-H — one to Chicago and one to Toronto.

After high school, LeRoi worked at Teeland’s Country Store in Wasilla and joined the U.S. Army reserves. In late 1960, he became the contract mail carrier for Wasilla, delivering all the mail for Fishhook, Pittman-Schrock, Knik and Fairview Loop roads, and all the way up the highway north to Trapper Creek. He loved delivering mail to those outlying areas, saying the people were so appreciative of getting the mail they sometimes greeted him by dog sled, snowmachine or small plane. During this time he also farmed, raising potatoes. He drove that mail route until 1972. This was shortly after the Parks Highway was completed all the way to Fairbanks and he said there was too much traffic on it and the cars drove too fast.

In 1961, while on the mail route, LeRoi saw a “For Sale” sign on a 40-acre parcel of land at Mile 2 Fairview Loop. He took down the sign, called the realtor and bought the property. In 1965, he began building a home there, friends calling it his “wife trap.” That year he also became an Amway distributor.

In 1967, he met Margaret Johnson, a school teacher in Wasilla, and she became his wife in December 1968. The wife-trap worked! They honeymooned in Talkeetna. After LeRoi quit the mail route, he and Margaret worked their Amway business full time for many years.

In 1977, their son, Troy Bradley Heaven, was adopted and LeRoi loved being a dad. His favorite memory was the day his 4-year-old son “helped Daddy” by painting his tractor with creosote, trimming the tomato plants in the greenhouse, and spreading fertilizer on the floor of the tool shed — all within an hour.

LeRoi became involved with the Wasilla Historical Society. He was instrumental in preserving and restoring the Herning-Teeland-Mead building, which was the original general store built in Wasilla by O.G. Herning when he moved his mercantile business from Knik to Wasilla in 1917. The building had to be moved from its location on Main Street when the Parks Highway was widened.

In 1981, LeRoi and Margaret purchased the 40-acre hayfield just south of their home and began growing hay. History was a passion of LeRoi’s and he began acquiring and restoring endangered homestead cabins in the area and moving them to the edge of the hayfield to preserve them. A dream of LeRoi’s was realized in 2008 when that hayfield was preserved in the Alaska Farmland Trust so it would always remain farmland.

Through the years, LeRoi was involved with many organizations and community activities. LeRoi was an enthusiastic member of the Antique Auto Mushers of Alaska, driving his 1961 Studebaker to many events. He was a member of the Pioneers of Alaska, the Wasilla-Knik Historical Society, the Palmer Historical Society, the Borough Preservation Board and the Alaska-Yukon Pioneers. He established and ran the Wasilla Farmers’ Market for 15 years. He gave hay rides at the Wasilla old-time Christmas events. He hosted school and Scout groups at the hayfield. He was a good neighbor.

LeRoi loved life. He loved people. He was a member of the Christian Science Church in Wasilla. He loved to travel, garden, restore historic buildings and farm. He loved to talk to people about the history of our lovely valley. He loved Alaska.

He is survived by his wife, Margaret; son, Troy, of Denver; sister, Wythle Gershmel of Wasilla; sister-in-law, Barbara Johnson of Anchorage; special daughter, Deborah Harrison of Fairbanks, and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

There will be a memorial and celebration of life for LeRoi at 3 p.m., Nov. 7, at Wasilla High School, Bogard Road, Wasilla.

In lieu of flowers, people may donate air miles to Troy or Margaret. Donations can be made to Troy Heaven through Wells Fargo bank, to the Tok Area EMS (P.O. Box 811, Tok, AK 99780), to the Wasilla-Knik Historical Society (300 N. Boundary St, Wasilla, AK 99654), to the Friends of the Wasilla Library (P.O. Box 874454, Wasilla, AK 99687) or to the Wasilla Church of Christ, Science (P.O. Box 871432. Wasilla, AK).

Updated information is available at http://rememberingleroi.wordpress.com.