Paul Wayne Rohwer

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Church of Christ Youth Services in Sutherland. Paul was born on a farm two miles from Paullina, Iowa, on November 30, 1922, to Gladys and Burdette Rohwer. He spent his early years with his parents, and two sisters on farms in the area until his father purchased a ranch in Ridgeway, Colorado, and moved the family there. He attended Iowa State University, and enlisted in the Army Signal Corp on September 26, 1942 at the age of 19. They sent him to Stanford University to train in Pre-Engineering. The Army took their new recruits and lined them up alphabetically, A-N were trained to become pilots, and O-Z were sent to Radio Repair School, Camp Davis, CA. They were taught about the new Frequency Modulation (FM) radio technology, which was a government secret at the time. Paul's Army service was spent in New Guinea, and the Philippines. He spent his time operating the radios, and avoiding Japanese sniper bullets. Paul was decorated with; American Service Medal, Asiatic Pacific Service Medal, Philippine Liberation Medal, World War ll Victory Medal and Good Conduct Medal. Paul had known Ellen Smith before he enlisted in the service, and decided while serving that he would like to make her his wife. He proposed in a letter while overseas, and she accepted. They were married December 6th, 1947 in Paullina Iowa, and they lived for a short time in Ridgeway Colorado. One day Paul asked Ellen if she liked to travel, she replied that she did, and then he informed her he had taken a job with the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA, later renamed FAA). They had the sad duty of informing both sets of parents that they would be moving to 'The Last Frontier', Anchorage, Alaska. Everyone assumed that they would never meet again. In 1949, Paul and Ellen loaded up a flatbed Dodge pickup towing a travel trailer, and headed north over the newly opened for civilian travel, Alaska-Canadian (Alcan), highway. Even though the trip was difficult, it was a three week adventure that they both enjoyed. Over the years, many visits took place as relatives and friends made the trek to and from Alaska, appreciating the company and the scenery. In 1950, they decided to make Montana their home, and their first son was born there in November 1951. In the spring of 1952, the call of Alaska won out, and they returned to Anchorage to stay. Paul would build the three homes that he lived in while in Anchorage. The first was the log cabin where he and Ellen lived the first time in Alaska, the second one was on three lots he had purchased in the Turnagain area, which was destroyed in the 1964 earthquake. Their final home was on five acres south of Anchorage, in the foothills of the Chugach Mountains. Together they had four children; David, Ralph, Donna, and Lee. Paul served on the Board of Directors for Chugach Electric in the early 1960's, and served many terms as Elder and Deacon at Trinity Presbyterian Church. He worked for the FAA for 40+ years and retired in June of 1985. In 1996, Ellen succumbed to cancer, and Paul took to traveling the globe. In one of his trips back to Iowa for a multi-year high school reunion, he got acquainted with a widow of one of his classmates. It didn't take long for them to realize that they wanted to enjoy life together, and Paul married Ellen Watterson March 22, 2003. He moved back to Sutherland, Iowa, where Ellen had a home, and made several return trips a year so Paul could show Ellen Alaska. Paul passed into Heaven in the early morning hours of November 6th, just three weeks from his 93rd birthday. Paul Rohwer had an adventurous spirit, and a heart for God. He had been drawn to Alaska as a youth, and settling there fulfilled a dream of his. Hunting, camping, fishing, and berry picking were all activities that Paul loved and he always made sure to share them with his family and visiting relatives. Though most of the time, friends and family enjoyed the relative comfort of a camping trailer or motorhome, Paul was equally at home under a tarp sleeping on the ground. He hunted with friends, and his sons, and enjoyed dipnetting at Chitina keeping moose and salmon in the freezer to feed his family. Paul's devotion to his savior Jesus Christ, showed in the way he served others. He spent time in the summers traveling to bush Alaska helping small local churches with construction and facility maintenance and repairs. Having been in Alaska without extended family at holiday times, he was sensitive to new Alaskans, and there were always dinners, and activities in his home for those who had nowhere else to go. He was always ready to share his time, and talents with others. He knew auto mechanics, home construction, plumbing, electrical, hunting, fishing, and he knew how to share his faith so that others could know the Jesus he knew. Paul is survived by his second wife Ellen, and his children David (Celia), Ralph (Gloria), Donna (Bill), and Lee (Merrilee), ten grandchildren and their spouses, and nine great grandchildren; Ellen's children, Darrell (Ginny), David (Sue), Denise (Roger), Dawn (Ron), and Dale, 26 grandchildren and their spouses, 20 great grandchildren. His sister, Phyllis, nieces, nephews, cousins, and all who became family just because they cared, or were cared for.

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