Ovid Eckroate

Former longtime Kenai Peninsula resident Ovid Earl Eckroate, 88, died July 22, 2007, at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Phoenix.
A military honor guard graveside service will be at 1 p.m. Aug. 11 at Anchor Point Cemetery. Grandson Matthew Eckroate Fernandez will offer passages from Scripture at the service. Pallbearers will be Tony Bess, Kerry Engebretson, Vincent Fernandez, Matthew Eckroate Fernandez, Michael Eckroate Larson, Daniel Weatherly, Ian Weatherly and Paul Wells. A gathering of family and friends will be afterward at the Anchor River Inn.
Mr. Eckroate was born July 22, 1919, to William Lewis and Bertha Pearl (Nichols) Eckroate in Navarre, Ohio. He graduated from high school in Orville, Ohio, in 1937. He joined the Army Air Corps in 1941 at the onset of World War II and initially served as a tail gunner. In 1942, while in training in San Antonio, he married Audrey Gertrude Ingram. Mr. Eckroate served more than 29 years in the U.S. Air Force. He retired Aug. 31, 1970, as a chief master sergeant, Tactical Air Command (specializing in weaponry and electronics). His final assignment was with the 27th Tactical Fighter Wing at Cannon Air Force Base, Clovis, N.M.
After retirement, Mr. Eckroate and his wife relocated to Alaska to a home they built on the Old Sterling Highway between Homer and Anchor Point. In the 1980s, with his wife, he developed the Windsong Subdivision between Homer and Anchor Point.
Mr. Eckroate was interested in astronomy, paleontology, geology, ornithology, mycology (mushrooms) and gemology, and was passionate in earlier years about hiking, hunting and fishing in Alaska. He had a particularly keen interest in collecting "treasures" that other people considered "junk," and was also an avid fan of science fiction.
"Our dad was physically very strong and had a keen wit and a twinkle in his eye," he family wrote. "He was noted for his strength of character without pretension or fanfare and cared dearly for his family. His mechanical versatility and proficiency were invaluable when he and his wife, Audrey, proved up on their homestead near Homer and later built their retirement home on the Old Sterling Highway between Homer and Anchor Point.
"He was well read, self-taught, and articulate on many subjects. He was forever 'boyish,' and family, neighbors and friends have fond memories and stories about Ovid. When we were young, he made us feel safe when he held our hand. We will always be grateful to him and our mother for their consistent and loving guidance as we matured into adulthood. We respected and were proud of our father."
Mr. Eckroate is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Kathy June and Vincent D. Fernandez of Anchorage; daughter and son-in-law, Audrey Jill and Alan Latham of Mesa, Ariz.; and grandchildren, Kimberly June Wells, Matthew V. Eckroate Fernandez and Kristin Kathy Fernandez of Anchorage, Michael R. Eckroate Larson of Los Angeles, and Jason Sewell and Brian Latham of Mesa, Florida and Ohio.
Mr. Eckroate was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Audrey.
Condolences may be mailed to 10781 Hillside Drive, Anchorage 99507, in care of Kathy J. Fernandez.