Letter submitted for 50th Osborne High School reunion for May 2011
Gerald Alflen
3312 13th St SW
Puyallup, WA. 98373
The story of my life Gerald (Gary) Alflen
Upon thinking of this lifetime, one looks back and can say, "has it really been 50 years since High School"? I was born in Osborne in 1943 and completed my formal education in Osborne. I remember many good things about school and how it shapes us to meet life's challenges. I remember taking typing for 2 years and even though I didn't use it much for many years, I found myself at a typewriter typing and being able to type without looking at where the keys where. We may not use everything we learned in school but it is a good foundation for us to follow. Living and learning from that time in a small Midwestern town of Osborne was a positive part of life.
After high school I went to work for McFarland Grocery as a produce manager.In 1964 I met a wonderful girl from Downs named Janet Teselle. We dated and were married that summer. She has been my soul mate, and the best thing to happen to me. In 1965 we were blessed with a son named Patrick (Pat). who now lives with his wife in Hawaii. In 1966 we decided to move to Washington State and start a new life for our family and built a home in Puyallup. In 1967 we were blessed with a daughter named Vanessa who lives here in Washington state with her husband. In 1971 we purchased 10 acres of forest land in the mountains. We built a vacation home on it with a beautiful view of the valley below. We spend a lot of time there enjoying the wild life and large fir trees that are now over 60 years old. Vanessa gave us our grandson named Devin in 1988. We enjoy going to our vacation home and riding motorcycles and quads.
Upon reflection one can look back to all the things that have shaped your lives. As a child of ten I started working for my Grandpa in his greenhouse and on his farm. He instilled in me a good work ethic and how to succeed as a business man even though he didn’t have much education. Not only good work ethics but value of ones word and a simple hand shake for a contract. His generation is a loss for our dealings of this time. I was raised in a good Christian home and taught values that have guided me through life. My dad was a successful business man even though he only completed 8 grade and he too gave me that drive to succeed through his example.
I worked in management for a large grocery chain here in Washington. After 40 years of success in the grocery business, I am now enjoying my retirement.
Gerald (Gary) Alflen
