By Heather Lende

Willard Allen "Bill" Waldo died at home April 18 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. He was 71.

About 170 people paid last respects at a Jones Point Cemetery service that started exactly at 1 p.m., because, as Roc Ahrens noted, "Bill was always on time, and usually early. If he told you seven, he’d be there at 6:50."

Waldo was eulogized as a hardworking, faithful, generous, and friendly man with a ready grin. "It’s the face of a prize fighter, a face that you’ll never forget," said Dick Flegel.

Waldo was a boy growing up on a Wyoming ranch when a kicking horse broke his nose. Like the heroes of country songs, Waldo had a soft spot for children, often sharing candy with them.

"Bill knew how to make the little ones smile. Sometimes adults forget how important that is," said Ike Lorentz.

Waldo came to Haines in 1962 when an Anchorage employer got a contract to pave Main Street. He expected to stay a few months, but wife Carol said "he fell in love with the town and the people." Bill and Carol Audette married in 1964 and they raised her two sons, Daniel and Kenneth. In 1969, they adopted an infant girl, Margie.

Waldo worked in construction and logging, pumped gas, and owned and drove log trucks. In 1972, he built the service station on Second Avenue. He also worked for the state Department of Transportation and Klukwan Inc. In 1980, he bought the local concrete company, operating it until he retired in 2003.

"Bill always said that he didn’t know what he was going to do when he grew up, but the fact is he was always trying to find a way to make a living in this small town," Carol said.

As a boy, Pete Lapham worked for Waldo. "He’d show me how to do something, and then tell me to do it, and walk away. He’d say, ‘Whatever you do, do it the best you can.’ It’s something I never forgot."

"Bill always said his life held great happiness and terrible sorrows," Carol said. Their daughter died in a motorcycle accident when she was 14, and eight months later, stepson Dan died in a small plane crash.

Determined to not let tragedy define their lives, the Waldos started a scholarship fund for Haines High School graduates, helping more than 50 students attend college. Later they transferred the fund to the Haines Borough Public Library for a summer reading program.

"The Waldos opened up amazing opportunities by sharing this gift with all the children in the community," said retired librarian Ann Myren.

Waldo donated concrete for the memorial at Lookout Park, a veteran’s crypt, and to the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, of which he was a member. Robin Stickler, whose family took over Waldo’s concrete company, said Waldo was privately generous too. When someone needed help in an emergency, he’d pull out a roll of bills and peel some off. "He was always donating money," Stickler said.

Bill Waldo was born Jan. 16, 1937 in a farmhouse in Traer, Kansas, to Doris McCartney and Jess Willard Waldo. He was the second of seven children. The family moved to an Estebrook, Wyo. logging camp, and when his parents separated five years later, Waldo moved to a cattle ranch near Douglas, learning to ride horses, brand cattle, and break mustangs.

The family lived in a old stagecoach house along the Oregon Trail without power or running water, an experience Waldo remembered fondly.

In 1952, Waldo, his mother, stepfather, and younger sister Kay moved to Anchorage. He attended West High School and served six years in the Air National Guard before coming to Haines.

In his last months, although he struggled with Alzheimer’s, he took great joy in the company of his beloved grandchildren Claire and Seth, joining their tea parties, reading them stories, and playing with Barbie dolls on the living room floor. Waldo would play Prince Charming or the wicked stepmother in their plays, Carol said. "My husband had a heart of gold."

In addition to Carol, he is survived in Haines by son Kenneth, grandchildren Seth and Claire, and other local relatives Elaine Piggott, Cheryl Stickler, Nicole Stickler, and Victoria Moore. He is also survived by brothers Ben Waldo of Lima, Mont., and Sam Brow of Sterling, Alaska; sisters Cecelia Green of Juneau and Karla Gillespie of Grants Pass, Ore.; brother-in-law Don Carson of Soldotna, Alaska and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Donations may be made in his name to Hospice of Haines.