Vicki Lee Wallner

1958 - 2025

Vicki Lee Wallner
June 23, 1958 - May 11, 2025
Vicki Lee Wallner, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and community advocate, passed away on May 11, 2025, surrounded by the love of her family after a courageous 3.5 year battle with pancreatic cancer.
Born on June 23, 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee, Vicki was the only daughter of Howard and Nancy Chaffin, growing up alongside three brothers. Her childhood was filled with wild outdoor adventures, and she took great pride in being able to keep up with the boys. A talented flutist and proud majorette, she marched in her high school band and graduated from Williston High School in Florida in 1976.
After graduation, Vicki followed her family's next big adventure and moved to Alaska - a place she proudly called home for the rest of her life. She married in 1982 and gave birth to three daughters: Sarah, Samantha, and Sabrina. She also opened her heart and home to Dawn, a foster daughter who became part of the family for the rest of her life.
Vicki became a single mother in 1990 and raised her daughters on a small farm in Palmer. She juggled multiple jobs to make ends meet, including starting and running her own landscaping business. Throughout it all, she still found time to help her daughters with 4-H projects, school functions, and poured her heart into leading Alaska Dog and Puppy Rescue, the only no-kill dog rescue in the state at that time. No matter how difficult things became, she met life's challenges with determination, strength, and a 'never give up' demeanor.
Vicki met Leonard Wallner in 1997 and as he would say, 'It was love at first sight'. She became a proud Alaska State Trooper wife when they married in 1998, and set about blending both families together: Vicki's three daughters and Leonard's four sons. Leonard and Vicki went on many amazing adventures together during their 26 years of marriage.
In 2013, Vicki created Stop Valley Thieves, a grassroots Facebook group that grew into a powerful force for good in the Mat-Su Valley. Through this platform, she advocated for victims, helped recover countless stolen property, and played a key role in repealing harmful state of Alaska legislation. Her advocacy was driven not by anger but rather by compassion - always seeking to understand root causes and support meaningful solutions like addiction, recovery, and re-entry programs. Her work left a lasting mark in Alaska, and her legacy lives on in safer streets and stronger communities.
Vicki loved the outdoors - gardening, fishing with her beloved brother Rich, and most especially mowing her yard, even during the hardest days of cancer treatment. She found joy among her flowers and deep peace upon the lawn tractor. Above all, she adored her grandchildren and treasured every moment with them.
Vicki was a warrior, a strong woman with immense heart and spirit, and above all else, a woman of God. Vicki beat stage 3 breast cancer in 2007 and bravely faced advanced stage pancreatic cancer with grace and resilience for more than three years, despite all odds. Her strength and spirit continue to inspire everyone who knew her. Even in her toughest days of chemotherapy and treatment, Vicki refused to quit fighting.
Vicki is survived by her loving and devoted husband Leonard Wallner, her daughters Sarah, Samantha, and Sabrina Schol, her foster daughter Dawn Close, step sons Leonard III, Isaiah, Shawn, and Levi Wallner, and her beloved grandchildren, Kaitlyn Schol, Luke Wertheim, Marie, Amber, and Aidan Wallner, and Joel Close, as well as best friend and sister-in-law Jo Chaffin. Vicki is preceded in death by parents Howard and Nancy Chaffin and brothers Richard and Lee Chaffin.
Vicki will be deeply missed and remembered. Her greatest wish was to make her community a better place for everybody, no matter their background or circumstance. She was always encouraging others to become their best selves through love and determination. Should you wish to honor Vicki's memory, volunteer and/or support your local animal rescue, become a foster parent, and be active in your local community.