obituaries
Paul Joseph Anctil, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist
P
aul Joseph Anctil died peacefully at
home in Portland on March 23, 2011
after a final bout with cancer. He was
75.
Anctil was the founder of Anctil Heating
and Cooling, located in Northeast Portland
on North Williams Avenue.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m.
on Tuesday, March 29 at St. Pius X, 1280
Northwest Saltzman Road. A reception will
be held immediately following the funeral
at the St. Pius X Community Center.
Paul was born on July 9, 1935 in
Lynnwood, California to Homer and
Rosella Anctil. He was the fifth child of
eight in a Roman Catholic family that was a
part of the St. Columbkille Church and
School in Los Angeles, Calif.
“At age 20, I married my 18-year-old
sweetheart, Mary Catherine Brett. That was
Jan. 7, 1956,” Paul wrote just before his
death. Mary had been his neighbor, and his
best friend’s sister. Paul gave Mary an
engagement ring as a high school gradua-
tion present.
“What I remember most about that time
was a lot of people telling me that it would-
n’t work because we were too young to get
married. Together we had eight children:
Michael, Victoria, Thomas, David,
Catherine, Valerie, Donald, and Loretta, and
spent forty-three wonderful years together,”
he punctuated in his writings.
After long discussions among the Anctil
brothers about escaping the smog, traffic,
unions and school system of L.A., younger
brother Bill moved his family to Portland in
August of 1966. Bill had set a fire. Paul and
Mary moved to Oregon in June 1967 with
Paul Joseph Anctil, Entrepreneur,
Philanthropist
six children of their eventual eight children.
His brothers Rich and Ed followed with
their families in 1970.
In Oregon, Paul and Mary settled in
Tigard and became immediately involved in
St. Anthony Catholic Church and School.
Their children attended St. Anthony, St.
Mary’s of the Valley (now Valley Catholic),
Jesuit High School, and Central Catholic
High School.
A skilled metal worker taught by his
father, Paul established a career in sign
making and worked for Columbia Neon
designing and building some of Portland’s
most recognizable neon signs. This was fol-
In Loving Memory
Althea Rosetta Rand Harden, Feb. 17, 1921 - April 7, 2005
The Broken Chain
We little knew that morning that God was going to call your name,
In life we loved you dearly, in death we do the same.
It broke our hearts to lose you, you did not go alone,
For part of us went with you, the day God called you home.
You left us peaceful memories, your love is still our guide.
And though we cannot see you, you are always at our side.
Our family chain is broken, and nothing seems the same,
But as God calls us one by one, the chain will link again .
Patricia Yvonne Harden, Nov. 8, 1947 - Feb. 3, 1998
Ora Beatrice Harden, Mar. 26, 1950 - Jun. 8, 2007
We miss you, even though we know you are still with us in spirit,
it's been another very long year. Love your children,
Jeanetta, Chitagawaa, Herman Sr., William (Bill), Gwen and Sandra.
Page 6 The Portland Skanner march 30, 2011
lowed by time working with Ted Nelson Co.
(now Helzer Steel).
On October 1, 1976, Paul established
Anctil Sheet Metal with the acquisition of a
56 year-old family business, Lahodny Sheet
Metal. The company operates today on
North Williams Avenue as Anctil Heating
and Cooling. In its 35th year, the Company
is led by his son, Tom, and specializes in
high-end customized residential and com-
mercial HVAC systems. Paul retired in
1993.
Paul and Mary were very active in both
professional and civic affairs. Paul was a
charter member of the Albina Rotary in
1979, which sought to affect a lasting
impact on the business
community and personal
lives of the area bounded
by Mississippi Avenue,
NE Fremont Street, and
NE Alberta Street. He
served as president, and
one of his most proud
achievements was helping
to establish, fund and build
the St. Andrew Legal
Clinic (SALC) in 1979,
providing free legal serv-
ices to those in need. He also led the origi-
nal initiative for what is now ORACCA
(Oregon Air Conditioning Contractors of
America) in a partnership with Northwest
Natural Gas; was an active member of the
Knights of Columbus; was past
Commodore of the Hayden Island Yacht
Club; volunteered and helped fund-raise for
Birth Right (now Mother & Child
Education Center); was very active in
Catholic education at St. Anthony, St.
Cecilia, St. Mary of the Valley, Holy Trinity,
Jesuit High School, Central Catholic High
School, and St. Pius X; and was long- and
deeply-committed to the mission of the St.
Vincent de Paul Society.
Following Mary’s death from a rare dis-
ease in 1999, Paul threw himself even fur-
ther into volunteerism. Paul wrote, “I began
working very closely with [St. Pius X]
under the direction of my good friend, Fr.
Ron Millican. That’s where I met and fell in
love with my present wife, Barbara Ann
Garrova. We got married on March 10,
2005. I was then the stepfather of Barbara’s
wonderful daughters, Megan Ropella and
Katey Kane. We now have 28 grandchildren
and they are Mariana, Shauna, Brian, Katie,
Veronica, Brandon, Allan, Courtney, Paige,
Jordan, Cassandra, Rachel, Jade, Gabriella,
Mitchell, Zachary, Sydney, Cole, Carter,
Travis, Samuel, Cavan, Britten, Caden,
Andrea, Vivian, Theodore,
and Phillipa. Two great-
grandchildren were added,
Preston and Parker.”
With Barbara, he contin-
ued to give much of his
time to their church, but
ever the entrepreneur; Paul
and Barbara founded
Tilly’s Gelato in 2006. It
grew to become part of the
fabric of Cedar Mill and
continues operations today
under new ownership as Libertine Deli.
During the last year of his life, he was
devoted to serving the young men at St.
Mary’s Home for Boys, a Beaverton facili-
ty for at-risk boys between the ages of 10
and 17. After learning that some of them
had never had a birthday party, Paul and his
brethren in the St. Pius X Knights of
Columbus hosted a party for the boys once
a month. He spent much of his adult life
serving with the Knights of Columbus and,
in March 2011, was named Knight of
Knights for Assembly 3239, its first such
honoree.
Service for Paul
Joseph Anctil,
Entrepreneur,
Philanthropist,
July 9, 1935 –
March 23, 2011
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