Noel W. Woods

Noel W. Woods

Noel William Woods of Palmer, died 25 September 2021 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. Noel was born 31 July, 1930 in Flint, Michigan, living there until the mid-1930s when the collapse of the automobile industry required the family move to Little Falls MN. His father Glen worked as a lineman during the construction of the ALCAN Highway and purchased farm land in the Matanuska Valley. In March 1945, the family boarded a train in Little Falls and in April 1945, a steamship in Seattle bound for Alaska and a farm on what is now Inner Springer Loop in Palmer. Noel graduated from Palmer High School in May 1948 and, aside from a year at Iowa State University, lived in Palmer until his death.

Noel was drafted into the US Army in 1952 and spent all of his time at Fort Richardson. Officially the headquarters company carpenter, Noel spent most of his time with the US Army Alaska (USARAL) rifle and pistol teams and as a member of the marksmanship instruction unit. He was honorably discharged as a Corporal.

Noel had started shooting before his entry into the Army and continued as a member of the Matanuska Valley Sportsmen Club thru the 1960s earning Lifetime Master competition ratings for high power rifle, indoor pistol and indoor smallbore rifle.

In August 1955, Noel and Jean Higgins were married in Palmer. Jean always said that she had come to Alaska in 1954 on a two-year teaching contact and maybe would have stayed for another year if she really liked it. They celebrated their 65th anniversary in 2020. Together, they raised four children and ran several successful businesses.

Noel was a farmer, school bus company manager, and a small construction company owner over the course of his life. In 1965, Noel was selected as the Alaska “Outstanding Young Farmer of the Year”.

He was active in the Palmer community, serving as a member of the Palmer Volunteer Fire Department, as chief from 1961 to 1966, a member of the Valley Hospital Board of Directors, and as a member of several borough commissions and boards, most notably the Point McKenzie Port Commission. He served a term on the borough assembly representing the Greater Palmer area. Together with Jean, Noel was a founding member of the Alaska Outdoor Council and was active in the Republican Party in both local and state levels

An active member of the Matanuska Valley Sportsmen Association for most of his adult life, Noel worked to get the range facility that bears his name permitted and built.

Noel always participated in the physical maintenance of whatever church he attended and used his remote site construction experience to act as volunteer foreman in the construction of several churches across rural Alaska.

Noel is survived by daughter, Lynn Miller; sons, Wayne and Nathan Woods, and their families. He was predeceased by his wife, Jean; daughter, US Air Force Captain Barbara J. Nakajo; and grandsons US Army Specialist Shane Woods, and William Nakajo.

The family would like to thank the staff of the Memory Care unit at the Alaska Veteran and Pioneer’s Home in Palmer for their care of Noel.

A memorial service will be held at St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer at 2 pm on 4 December 2021. A celebration of life will be held on June 25th 2022 at the Palmer Depot.