William Hibbs Currin

Former Anchorage resident William “Bill” Hibbs Currin, 88, died Dec. 5 at his assisted living residence in Palmer.

Bill was born April 22, 1920 in Monroe, Ore., to Cleve J. and Mabel A. (Hibbs) Currin. After high school he joined the Navy on Feb. 18, 1941. He served aboard troop transports in the Pacific and on a submarine in the Aleutians . Four months after his discharge, in November 1946, he and his parents moved to Alaska to live near his sister, Dorothy Steadman and family in Mountain View . Later he purchased a lot with a small cabin next door where he lived with his parents. Bill ran a limousine service from Anchorage to Valdez in the early 1950s. He raised, trained and raced sled dogs, worked in the large family garden, and enjoyed hunting. After moving to his DeArmoun Road property in 1960 he raised exotic poultry and became interested in genealogy. Bill was a charter member of the Alaska Society of Mayflower descendants and Alaska Sons of the American Revolution.

Bill married Velma (Norris) Herdina in 1973. They were active in their Church, enjoyed gardening, fishing and traveling. He retired from the U.S. Postal Service in 1980. In 1983 Bill and Velma relocated to Cave Junction, Ore., where they continued to garden, raised prize sheep, and traveled. In 2002 Bill returned to Alaska to be near his family.

Bill is survived by his sister Alice Miller, 93, a longtime Alaska resident and artist, his step-children Bonnie Hager and husband Bill, Beth Asplund and Mike Herdina all living in the Matanuska Valley as well as many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Bill was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Velma; and his sister Dorothy Steadman.

A military service was at the Fort Richardson National Cemetery on Dec. 18. His remains will be spread at sea.