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Alvin John Gran was born “John Alvin”, 2 September 1916[1][2] down by the James “Jim” River, Lesterville, South Dakota. He was the 9th of 11 children of Anton and Hannah Gran.[3] He was called “Alvin” as there were so many named “John” in the larger family and it was never changed back. He always went by “Alvin John” from that time on. Al’s early years were spent on the farm near Menno, South Dakota where he attended one room school houses and completed the 8th grade. Life was very difficult during the depression. Along with his father, Al tried to help run the farm with some of the other brothers. In December of 1934, his father suddenly passed away when Al was 18. The boys continued to help run the farm, but the family’s financial plight forced him to find work in construction to help his mother out. He worked for many places, finally settling at Boeing where he worked for a total of 37 years.
In late 1943, while living at a boarding house in Seattle he met a lovely young lady who caught his eye who had just moved to the same boarding house. They had a “whirlwind courtship” and four months later on 21 February 1944, they were married. Although it was a short courtship, their marriage was long-lived of 47 years.
Al and Evelyn eventually had three children, Gale, Douglas and Marilyn.[3]
Even though life started through difficult years, the Gran boys always had time for fun, mischievous moments and joking. For example, there was the Halloween when he helped tip over an outhouse, and the time when he was riding in the car with one of his brothers and suddenly spotted one of the wheels rolling down the road ahead of them.
Among the special memories from his family were many camping trips they took together… including the time their tent blew down in the middle of the night at Lake Osoyoos in South Central British Columbia; making lefse and then cooking it on the wood stove in the basement and then eating it; and many trips to attend family reunions. Al loved to tease, and on one of those trips to South Dakota, every time one of the kids misbehaved, he’d threaten to give them to the Indians (as we drove through many Indian Reservations). It apparently wasn’t enough, however, to keep Doug in check. So as they drove into Deer Lodge, Montana, Al drove up to the gates to the Montana State Prison and ordered Doug out! That did it…the rest of the trip went much smoother!
The kids were especially proud of their father on the first and only time he tried to water ski. Not only did he get up, he skied clear around the lake, letting go of the rope at just the right moment to slide into shore... where he landed without getting wet! He didn’t swim, so this was a good thing!
When Alvin retired from Boeing, he was well respected by his fellow workers for his hard work, common sense and they loved his ability to tease. He was presented at this time with a Norwegian Chain Saw… a hacksaw with a chain stretched across where the blade usually goes, and a spark plug embedded in the handle!
At the age of 51, Al had a bout with peritonitis that nearly cost him his life. Three surgeries later he came home from the hospital to meet his granddaughter, Christina, who was born during his third hospitalization. That was a very special moment for Al…marking the beginning of a full recovery. By the way, except for the 3 months off for surgery, Al had a perfect work attendance record with the Boeing Company.
Though Al grew up in the Lutheran Church and had been confirmed in 1930 as a boy, it was at the time that his first child, Gale, was born, that Al became a Christian. It was at a church service in Yakima, Washington. From that day on, Al lived the life of a committed Christian…walking close to God and reading his Bible regularly. Though he had been baptized as a baby, he began to have a growing desire to be baptized as an adult by immersion, professing his faith in God. That desire was fulfilled, just a few months before he entered heaven’s gates, and was one of the happiest times of his life.
Al passed away very suddenly on Friday morning, 7 June 1991[4], at 7:02am at the Newberg Community Hospital, where he was treated for an unexpected heart arrest which had occurred two days earlier. He was 74 years, 9 months and 5 days old. He left his dear wife of 47 years, 3 children, 6 grandchildren and one grandson who preceded him in death. He was buried at Washington Memorial Park in Seattle, Washington.[1] Memorial gifts were given to buy many Bibles for Russia.
He is remembered for his hard work ethic, faithfulness to God and his family, and quite a tease.[5]
(Much of this account was written by Alvin’s daughter, Marilyn.)
This week's featured connections are Redheads: Alvin is 19 degrees from Catherine of Aragón, 19 degrees from Clara Bow, 25 degrees from Julia Gillard, 14 degrees from Nancy Hart, 15 degrees from Rutherford Hayes, 19 degrees from Rita Hayworth, 22 degrees from Leonard Kelly, 22 degrees from Rose Leslie, 21 degrees from Damian Lewis, 19 degrees from Maureen O'Hara, 25 degrees from Jopie Schaft and 34 degrees from Eirik Thorvaldsson on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.
Categories: Washington Memorial Park, SeaTac, Washington