- Date Of Birth: February 28, 1953
- Date Of Death: June 11, 2014
- State: Michigan
Gale Heppner, 61, died peacefully on Wednesday, June 11, surrounded by family members. A Midland native, he was born on February 28, 1953. He is survived by his wife Ronda, his mother Betty Heppner, and his many wonderful cousins and uncle. He was preceded in death by his father Clayton and his brother Jerry.
He attended Midland area schools, graduating from Bullock Creek HS in 1972. In the early years, he worked as a clerk in the old Yankee store, a carpenter, and a security guard for the Dow nuclear plant project. Always most comfortable in natural environments, a summer trek to Alaska appealed to his sense of adventure. Already an avid fisherman, hunter, and wildlife enthusiast, Alaska became his home for over 20 years. During this time, he resided in Anchorage, Wasilla, and the mountainous back country north of Willow. Natural skills and previous experiences lead to employment in carpentry, asbestos removal, and commercial fish processing for upscale lower 48 Japanese restaurants. His expertise in the delicate art of handling the fish was highly regarded by his employer. In the aftermath of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, he captained a vessel in the “Mosquito Fleet” out of Seward, supervising crews doing oil cleanup on Prince William Sound.
He developed a comfortable homestead in the mountainous backcountry north of Willow. Access was by snow machine, sometimes as long as six months out of the year. It was there he met Ronda, who shared his many outdoor interests and pioneer spirit. In 1999, they were married in a small ceremony by a close friend who obtained a one-time license as “Commissioner”. This is a current practice that began in the gold rush days when clergy was rarely available to perform a wedding ceremony in remote places.
Among the “bush rat” neighbors in the area, he was sought out as a resource for creative solutions to cabin construction in the rugged area. Skills of the trade were exchanged in the creation of sometimes crude but efficient living structures. He often used materials at hand to improvise solutions to varied building problems. He would laughingly boast of having the only outhouse with a working septic field,”built to code”. In October of 2000, he and Ronda moved to Midland. Along with two Toggenberg milk goats, a bear- provoking dog, and a “condo cat”, they established residence adjacent to his parent’s home. Here he resumed the rural lifestyle, working with his father to repair and build new structures on the woodland property. After acquiring an old farmhouse with acreage, he planted apples and other fruit trees, grew vegetables, grapes, and blueberries, and raised chickens, all on a small scale for personal use. Over the years, lasting friendships were made. He enjoyed people, treating them with kindness and respect in all situations. This caring nature also extended to wildlife he encountered in the course of his day, whether it be removing a snake from the path of a lawnmower, or saving a honey bee trapped inside a screened-in porch. In the spring he would often be late for appointments, having stopped to remove a turtle from the road, or rescue an injured or lost animal.
His witty, and sometimes teasing nature brought smiles to many faces. A saying he attributed to his grandmother was that “If you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all.” His life reflected this principle, and he was always helpful and generous in all of his affairs. His positive demeanor and infectious smile will be deeply missed by many friends and loved ones, both near and far
away.
