25 Aug Thinking Thursday – Special Edition: AK Insurance Legend Philip H. Mink Passed Away Today
Honoring Philp H. Mink
Former TIC Owner and Alaskan Insurance Guru
April 24, 1950-August 25, 2022
TIC will be closed today at noon
They say never go to Alaska when you are a young man, because you will fall in love and never leave.
Philip H. Mink, born in Elgin, IL on April 24, 1950, was born to Marion and Harvey Mink at the beginning of the decade of everything new, after the World Wars had ended.
Philip graduated high school in 1968 and decided to attend a local college to pursue his education. He attended the all-boys college called St. Bernard in Cullman, Alabama. Much to his delight, the following year the school decided to go co-ed, and recruited young women to attend the school. One of those women was the beautiful Anna Maria Flores from Southern Texas. He convinced her to go on a few dates with her after he rescued her by fixing her aunt’s broken-down car on the side of the road while he was walking home from a “How to Fix Your Chevrolet” class, and impressed her with his amazing typing skills and his willingness to type all of her term papers. Since she didn’t have a typewriter or know how to type, it seemed like a good deal to her. The rest, as they say, was history. After they graduated, they married in the summer of August 1973.
He decided to join the Coast Guard branch because of his love of the sea and boats, and his service moved the family around a bit while they were starting their lives. Over the next 5 years, they had 3 children, lived in Birmingham, Alabama, then one year outside in Orlando, FL, and then back to Birmingham, where like all professional insurance folks, he stumbled into the insurance industry by accident. He developed a real aptitude for it and ended up impressing some of the right people. Some friends of his started a Managing General Agency in Anchorage, AK, and convinced him to come up in June to work with them. He stepped off the plane into the nice cool breeze, saw the looming snow-peaked mountains on a sunny day and all that green lush grass and for the second time in his life, had his heart completely stolen away. One week later he returned to Alabama to announce he was packing up the family and moving to Alaska, just as the oil-boom hit Anchorage in 1981. He never looked back. He was a true citizen of Alaska, often telling anyone and everyone about its majesty and wonder.
Phil had a very long-lasting career as a Property-Casualty Insurance Underwriter, Manager and eventually as the co-owner of The Insurance Center, An Alaskan Corp. with his wife Anna. With over 40 years of experience, his counsel, expertise and guidance were often sought by professionals all over the state. He made friends all over the country and world through his professional association affiliations, and really enjoyed his profession.
When not working, he was fond of spending time with his kids and then with his grandchildren at all of their sporting and academic events as they grew up. He rarely missed a game, event, concert or play. He was passionate about fishing, boating, stained-glass art, building boats, yard work, snow-shoveling, spending time outside in the great outdoors in Alaska, traveling and seeing the National Parks, and just tinkering in his garage in general. He loved building things and fixing stuff and being a handy guy for all occasions. He spent over 20 years serving on the Anchorage Glacier Pilot Board, and many of them as the President of the Board. He loved spending his summers in the family’s box seats cheering for the college baseball kids. He also loved watching football on Sunday, cheering on the Mariners in the summer, and Gonzaga Basketball during the winter. And at the end of the day, he loved to cook, and prided himself on his fantastic Thanksgiving feasts. He was a jack of all trades, a truly Renaissance Man.
He is survived by his eldest son, Johnathan and his better half, Laurie Palo, his daughter Angela and her husband Josh Korver, and his younger son Ryan and his wife Louise Mink. He and Anna had 6 grandchildren who will carry on their legacy of family and love: Madeline, Hayden, Liana, Colin, Gabriella, and Elena. He is also survived by his sister Cynthia Mink Adelberg and her husband Bob, his brother Paul Mink and his wife Vickey, and his many cousins, nieces, nephews, and their children. He is also survived by the many lifelong friends who became like family members over the years.
Next summer there will be a Celebration of Life that will be held in Homer, Alaska in June of 2023. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that all donations be made to the Anchorage Glacier
Pilots, a non-profit that brings quality college baseball to the Anchorage community each summer, and where he and Anna spent so much of their happy summers, or to the Catholic Social Services of Anchorage.
Any memories, well-wishes, photos, or condolences should be sent to: akorver@ticak.com or mailed to the office at 2525 Gambell Street Suite 305 Anchorage, AK 99503