Valley Memorial Park, formerly known as Valley Memory Gardens, was established in 1962. It's original owners ended up in bankruptcy some years later. Burials began in 1964. Angelus Memorial Park bought the bankrupt Valley Memory Gardens in 1983. At that time, the perpetual care fund was depleted, one gravestone sat 150 feet away from the holder's grave, and records were in a confused mess. People who had bought lots and paid for burial services at the cemetery lost more than $1 million in the bankruptcy. All of the cemetery buildings and equipment were lost.

After acquiring Valley Memory Gardens, with permission from the Bankruptcy Court, Angelus Memorial Park named the cemetery Valley Memorial Park. Angelus Memorial Park then paid a token payment of $100 per acre to Matanuska Federal Credit Union for the land. Angelus Memorial Park Cemetery Association asked the Legislature for a one-time grant to help restore the Valley Memorial Park to a workable condition. The grant request came through House Speaker Joe Hayes' office. As a result, the State of Alaska provided Angelus Memorial Park with a grant of $175,000.00.

Mr. Harry Wimmer, who was serving as president of the Board of Trustees for Valley Memorial Park, spent several years working on the restoration process. Lucille Wimmer, and Shirley Conway-Plasse assisted in the work. It took three years to survey the entire 7 acre cemetery, install metal lot markers, construct a building, upgrade roads and update records to bury the parks troubled past. A seismograph company was hired to find the exact locations of the more than 500 graves and correctly identify them. A building was constructed to store maintenance equipment, equipment was purchased and records work done as far back as the mid-1960s.

Lot owners who lost their holdings in bankruptcy court were given the opportunity to retain their burial spaces for $100 each. Originally, that option was only available for six months. As a result of the records being in disarray, the Consumer Protection Agency was unable to inform many of the former lot owners about their option. As a result, Angelus Memorial Park extended the time for former lot owners to take advantage of the $100 per space offer. Angelus also restored the perpetual care fund and protected it by investing in government securities.

As time passed, an additional statue was added to the cemetery, flowerbeds were put in, trees planted and the grounds improved. In the summer of 2002, a new arch that displays the name of the cemetery was installed over the Park entrance and a plaque was placed in memory and appreciation to Harry L. Wimmer for his dedication and tireless work in making the cemetery what it has become. Today, Valley Memorial Park is the most beautiful, scenic, well kept memorial park in the Matanuska Valley.

History of Angelus Memorial Park

In 1951, six people filed the necessary paperwork for the establishment of a memorial park . The park opened it's gates in 1951 and the first burials took place in 1952. It was the first memorial park in Alaska. On September 25, 1953 A.S Haines, Rose B. Haines, A.U. Hassman, Dave Franke, Gordon Green and Marilyn Haines met to create Evergreen Memorial Park Association. On that same day, they had the first Board of Trustees Meeting. Rose B. Haines was appointed Chairwoman and A. S. Haines was appointed Secretary of the meeting.

The Haines property was purchased by the new Association for $44,000.00 on Sept. 25, 1953 and several more properties were acquired over the next few years to make up the 37 acres of rolling hills that belong to Angelus Memorial Park, Inc. today. The first annual meeting was held in the office of the association on Oct. 1, 1955 at 3 P.M. The Association became a non-profit corporation on Sept. 14, 1955. The Park incorporated December 4, 1961 and the park's name was changed to Angelus Memorial Park on Feb. 11, 1964. It is noteworthy that Angelus Memorial Park, Inc. was Alaska's first cemetery to establish a perpetual care fund for the endowment of the corporation. The park is governed by a voluntary Board of Trustees elected by the property owners at their annual meeting.

Frank Rippberger was appointed the first sales manager in Oct. of 1955. He operated out of an office at 821 Fourth Ave. The first attorney for the association was Stan Wilson. Later on Fred Kehl was the pre-need sales representative.

Sidney and Juanita Abbott were hired in 1956. Sidney was the cemetery Sexton and Juanita setup an office and a records keeping system. The office, shop, and storage area were all in the home and buildings of the Abbott's who lived across the street from the cemetery. Sidney designed and manufactured casket vault forms and poured concrete vaults in his shop. In 1959, the office was moved to the corner of Old Seward Highway and Klatt Road, the current location of Kehl's Forest Lawn Mortuary. At a later date, Dan Brown became the cemetery Sexton.

The first of several cemetery gardens was named in 1956, "Devotion Garden." The first section of that garden was developed in 1952 and the second section in 1954. In 1957, Christus Garden was developed. During 1963 Last Supper Garden was developed, and in 1964 Elks Garden and Catholic Gardens were established. Later, Love Garden was added and a number of years after that Babyland Garden was established.

Monuments and statues placed in the cemetery were the first ones in Anchorage. The first monument, the Bible, was placed in the cemetery on July 8, 1960. It was installed in Devotion Garden. The other monuments were added later. Some of the statues featured in the Park are hand-carved, beautiful, white marble from the marble quarries in Carara, Italy. It is the same marble chosen by Michelangelo for his Pieta. The Elks and the Catholic monuments were donated by each of those perspective groups. It is reported that after these monuments and statues were placed, many Anchorage residents drove to the cemetery for the purpose of seeing them and enjoying a lovely, peaceful environment.

A mortuary was built in July of 1962 but was sold in 1964 because the Association learned that it would jeopardize the Park's non-profit status. Sidney Abbot designed the current main building in the Park to become a two-story building in the future. The main building opened in 1986. This building houses the offices, storage area and Columbarium. The Columbarium was the first in Anchorage. The shop area was built next. Its main purpose was to house the manufacturing of vaults, however, it also serves as the center for all yard work.

It is important to recognize the efforts of Harry Wimmer and other Board of Trustee members. They were instrumental in the forming and establishment of the current cemetery laws for the State of Alaska. Mr. Wimmer also led the efforts to acquire the Valley Memorial Park in 1983.