Ben Henry Hermon
Jun 9, 1926 -
Jul 28, 2020
Ben Henry Hermon, loving husband and father, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, July 28, 2020, after experiencing complications from declining health conditions. He was 94.
Ben Sr. was born on June 9, 1926, in Clarksville, Tenn., to John and Hilda Hermon. As his father found work during the Great Depression, his family migrated northward through Indiana and finally settling in Plymouth, Wis. Just before he turned 9 years old, Ben's parents signed up for Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal program to resettle poverty-stricken families from Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin in the Matanuska Valley. He and five of his siblings moved to Alaska with John and Hilda, arriving in May 1935 with 200 other colonist families. Typical for colonists, Ben's family lived in a canvas tent until his father and helpers could build their house on a homestead located south of Palmer. It wasn't until late November that Ben and his family could move into the new home. For the next 12 years, his family would struggle to operate a farm with a limited local market. But during this time, Ben grew up into a hard-working young man, living a typical pioneering life of the era: farming, hunting, fishing and trapping. He excelled in school and was an editor of the high school newspaper, "Banana Belt Breezes." As a teenager during the early 1940s, Ben worked for the Matanuska Maid co-op, and as a courier delivering materials and equipment parts to support construction crews punching the Glenn Highway up the Matanuska River canyon to Glennallen. He graduated from Palmer High School in 1944, one of seven in his class.
Shortly thereafter, he was drafted into the Army, and served in World War II on island of Attu, where he honed his skills operating heavy equipment at the military base established there. He was honorably discharged with the rank of Staff Sergeant. After the war, he landed his first job with the Alaska Highway Department. It didn't take long for Ben, a self-starter, to purchase his first bulldozer, and build his own construction company with his brothers in the 1950s and 60s. Over the next 40 years, Hermon Brothers Construction was successful building roads, airstrips and schools throughout Alaska, as well as local sports fields, including what would later be named Hermon Brothers Field, home of the Mat-Su Miners. Hermon Brothers Construction was a significant employer in the Valley at the time. Ben and his brothers had generous hearts, and contributed a considerable amount of resources to helping build the community. He settled in Palmer and married a pretty nurse named Eve Papez in 1959. Eve, originally from Ely, Nev., was a Registered Nurse who moved to Alaska to work at the Valley Hospital. The couple built their house in Palmer where they raised four children and lived until the present day.
Ben was a gentleman builder at heart, using skills he developed as a pioneer and a contractor. Along with houses, airplane hangars, fishing cabins and seaworthy boats, Ben built genuine, life-long relationships. He was a leader in his community, holding positions with the Elks, Moose, ARRC Board, PTA, Valley Hospital Board, Mat-Su District School Board and others. He was well known for his dry wit and timely sense of humor, his trustworthy experience and his forthright honesty and easy-going friendliness. He loved to operate heavy equipment, and every winter Ben regularly removed drifted snow from neighborhood driveways using one of his bucket loaders. He was a wonderful companion to many, and generous with his time when family, friends or neighbors needed a hand or something fixed, hauled or built.
Ben enjoyed hunting, but fishing was his passion. Whether it was sunny and warm, or cold and windy, he had his tackle box stocked with opportunity. The freezers were always filled with salmon, halibut or trout — from a favorite, remote fishing hole, or from the ocean. His patience in cold weather was legendary to his family, as he outwaited trout and salmon for hours while ice fishing. Ben, a skilled pilot, owned a Piper Cub and an Aeronca Champion, which he flew to construction job sites and for fishing and hunting trips with family and friends. He taught his children and grandchildren to fish, hunt and dig for clams, which included the proper cleaning and preparation of the day's catch.
Ben enjoyed gold mining and had partnerships in two placer mining ventures - one near the ghost town of Denali and the second located on Willow Creek, west of Hatcher Pass. After sluicing at the site, he'd bring material home, and with the patience of a stoic sourdough, he'd pan for hours, extracting gold, flake by flake. He was fascinated with geology, and keenly interested in the history of the places he'd visit. When traveling on vacations with Eve, he loved visiting museums and parks along the way. An interesting souvenir or book would usually be brought home for further study. He enjoyed traveling to visit loved ones, but he especially appreciated spending time at home with family and friends.
Ben is preceded in death by his wife, Eve; his parents, John and Hilda; and siblings, Tom, Fritz, Doris (Fritz), Betty (Onkka), Jim and Neil Sr. He is survived by his brother, George (Dona) Hermon of Palmer; children, Ben Jr. (Constance) Hermon of Monument, Colo., Jon (Victoria) Hermon of Palmer, Mary Hermon of Palmer, and Jewell Evelyn of Austin, Texas; grandchildren, Neil Stimpson of Arlington Heights, Ill., Alexandra Hermon of Chanhassen, Minn., and Mathias Hermon of Palmer; and many nieces and nephews.
Ben's remains will be interred in a graveside service at the Palmer Pioneer Cemetery at 11 a.m. on Aug. 15, 2020. The family requests that attendees at the service honor COVID-19 protocols by wearing face coverings and practicing social distancing. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic precluding large gatherings, a Celebration of Life event is planned for the summer of 2021. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Food 4 Kids program at the Mat-Su Food Bank.
