Virgil Allen Chron 1923-2011
Virgil Allen Chron, 87, died Jan. 8, 2011, of congestive heart failure in Anchorage.
A memorial service will be 2 p.m. Jan. 22 at Muldoon Road Baptist Church.
He was born Dec. 2, 1923, in Houston, Texas, to Virgil and Nellie Chron.
He joined the Naval Air Corps in 1941.
After the war, Virgil began to work with June’s father and established several businesses. However, in 1956 he was well aware that God was calling him to preach, and while finishing college he pastored the little country church of Cone, Texas. Later, he attended seminary in Fort Worth.
Virgil founded the local Muldoon Road Baptist Church and pastored there for 23 years until he was forced to retire due to heart problems.
While visiting with two brothers in Alaska, he saw how much a ministry was needed that would be mostly for the military. His reluctant family followed him on the 4,000-mile journey to Alaska to start a new church. He rented a military barracks on Muldoon to begin a church. The family (including the children) cleaned, painted and readied the barracks for a first meeting. The first service was held on July 17, 1960, with 23 attending. Soon another barracks was added to the existing one and in 1963 the first permanent building was erected. In each of the three large building projects, 90 percent of the construction was accomplished by volunteer labor of church members.
Records show that under Virgil’s leadership the number of people who had been saved and baptized came to over 2,000. Muldoon Road Baptist Church built churches in King Salmon and Kodiak, and had radio programs broadcast to all of Alaska, as well as Russia and Novia Scotia.
Virgil ministered to missionaries within Alaska. He was instrumental in Muldoon buying them a plane and paying for flying lessons, thus widening their ministry.
He’s survived by his wife of 65 years, June; four daughters, all of Anchorage: June (Ron), Jana (Tim), Jamie (Mark) and Jill (Kerry); 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Virgil was the eldest of six children, with four brothers and one sister, and is survived by Ivan and Minnie.
The family wishes to extend a special thanks to Linda Johnson of Inn-Tegrity for her wonderful care: “We could not have made this journey without you.”
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the church, 382 Muldoon Road, Anchorage 99504.