Michael Edward Palmquist

Michael Edward Palmquist died in his home in Arizona Jan. 5, 2010.

He was born in Medford, Ore., on June 16, 1942. In 1947 at the age of 5, Mike, his two sisters, Barbara and Kelly, and his parents came to Alaska on a steamship. He lived in Anchorage until the age of 12, when his parents divorced and his mom moved him to homestead on a piece of land in what is now Houston.

From an early age, Mike learned the value of hard work and earning an honest wage. As a kid, he enjoyed and learned a lot about mining from his “Uncle Mike.” He moved to Wasilla, where he graduated from Wasilla High School in 1960. After serving in the Army Construction Battalion during the Vietnam War, he returned home and joined the Operating Engineers Local 302. He worked heavily with the city and borough to build and maintain the Mat-Su Valley’s roads. He always had an excellent sense for business and investing. He started his own construction business and continued to build in the Valley.

Mike loved his community and volunteered a lot of his time over the years building parks and ball fields and such. Mike met Ella in 1966 and she has loved him and been by his side for more than 43 years. Mike served on Wasilla’s first city council. He enjoyed much of Alaska’s outdoor activities, but in recent years he really loved golfing and mining with friends. He was often found on either his golf cart or his bulldozer with his beloved dog Mikey by his side. Most of all, Mike loved people and valued his friends. He was always willing to help someone who needed it. Those of us who knew this “pioneer of Alaska” knew what kind of man he was and will miss him dearly.