Paul C. (Chuck) Kroenung

Paul C. (Chuck) Kroenung, 74, passed away in Palmer, Alaska on December 19, 2022, of complications from AL Amyloidosis. A rare friend and husband, his rare disease took him just before a rare big winter storm hit. As he was fond of saying... 'Timing is everything.'

Paul was born in Anchorage, June 30,1948, to Paul and Adelaide Kroenung, when Merrill Field was way out of town on a dirt road. In the early 1950's a volcanic eruption spewed ash into the engines of the small airplanes on that field, shuttering his father's aircraft business, and necessitating a move to a "more active job market" in Seattle.

In 1963, he returned to Anchorage to begin his sophomore year at East-Anchorage High School, graduating in 1966. Disregarding all advice from his closest friends and instructors Paul started his college career at Pacific Lutheran University, rather than school in a much warmer climate. When he came to his senses he found his way to Arizona State University, and back to Alaska Methodist University. In between bouts of school, he completed a 4-year apprenticeship with Local 1281 Carpenters and Joiners of America and worked for twenty plus years in construction. In the 1980s, he completed his university degrees with a BS in Biological Sciences at University of Alaska Anchorage and an MS in Natural Resources Management at University of Alaska, and his Secondary Ed. Teaching certificate.

Paul served as an Education Coordinator in Corrections for the state of Alaska and health trustee for ASEA before retiring in 2015. He believed in the benefits of respect, dignity, and learning the skills to help people get along in life. It was a joy to see so many of his students go on to work in construction, become business owners, and find family and friends again.

Paul was preceded in death by his son Klaus A. Heppinstall Kroenung; his sister Ann Kroenung; and his parents. He leaves behind his wife and partner of 52 years, Brooke Heppinstall Kroenung.

He had a world full of cousins, extended family, and friends he left to find our own way. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Habitat for Humanity, an organization that benefited from the work of his construction students at Palmer Correctional Institute.

Paul's wife and family will gather in the warm sun of summer to honor his memory and plant some seeds of humor and grace.