Harold DeArmoun

Dec 28, 1924 -

Feb 11, 2020

Harold William DeArmoun, one man, so many hats, where to start? How to share? A man of stubborn resolve, clever and full of care. Harold left us on Feb. 11, 2020, to join the light of his life, June, who passed away four months ago. They were a couple for the books, one without the other just wouldn't do, their legacy so many miles long, a tale like theirs could spin a whole night through. We'll be brief and leave you with Harold's life, captured in occasional rhyme, poetry being a favorite pastime.

Born on Dec. 28, 1924, to Rose Minnie and William DeArmoun, Harold and his brother Donald were children of the depression raised in Fresno, Calif. The brothers joined the Air Force together and after losing Donald on the USS Arizona in 1941, Harold took odd jobs until he met June. The adventurous couple drove up the Alcan Highway to create a rugged life on the Anchorage Hillside. Brash and bold, Harold received his homestead and bulldozed a road to town known as DeArmoun Road. He and June raised their five children: Meta, Jill, Yvonne, Jane and Donald on the Old Hog Farm which still stands, a reminder of his perseverance and creativity. A house cobbled together with leftover pieces from his jobs on Elmendorf, Harold was nothing if not a problem solver; not a meticulous man, you can fix anything if you're happy with untraditional results. The hog farm gave way to a bookstore then the creation of All I Saw Cookware at the Meta Rose Square in Wasilla, Alaska, in 1984. Harold and June traveled the world filling the store with chocolates, fine cookware and exotic gifts.

Moving to Wasilla suited him, more land to cultivate. Never ones to settle into anything slowly or go it the easy way, June and Harold became cattle farmers in their 70s. A herd of Scottish Highlander cows became their pride and joy. Lovingly naming each cow, and providing food for the entire family each fall, including their 14 grandchildren and their 10 great-grandchildren, generosity worn on their sleeves.

We never met a dull moment at the DeArmoun's, he made sure of that. What needed to be done got done, he always had a to-do list that just needed ticking when we came around - heaven help the idle fool in Harold's presence. We helped plant potatoes, weed the garden, turn the compost, heard the cows to a lower pasture and we would hear about it loud and plain if the job was done to Harold's disdain. We'd leave the farm with bags full of beautiful vegetables, a new pet rabbit, fancy chocolates, a Persian rug or a baby chick. A day spent at Harold and June's was an education in hard work, good food and quirk, a trait passed down through each generation, nary a boring soul in the brood, every one of us full of Harold's fortitude.