Alfred “Al” Easterly says he’s honored to be an Honored Pioneer for the 2024 Irrigation Festival.
He is the son of George and Evelyn Easterly.
George was a logger, so they moved around a lot, but Al and his family grew up mostly in Sequim. He has a sister, Rosalie Secord and a brother, Jimmy Easterly. Evelyn was a homemaker and became a realtor later in life.
Al had two children with Sandra Severs his ex-wife — daughter Lynn Liebrand and son Jeff Easterly.
He has five grandchildren now. He met his current partner Carol (Russell) Simons in 2008 and they moved back to Sequim.
Al said growing up he was always working, selling greeting and birthday cards, trapping foxes that got away from fox farms, delivering newspapers as a paperboy, digging sewer lines, sold parts for radios, repaired radios and cutting pulpwood to make money.
He graduated from Sequim High School in 1956 and at age 18 enlisted in the Coast Guard and served for seven years and finished his service as a First Class Technician on aircraft
After his service, he couldn’t secure a job, so he enlisted in the Army and received training at Fort Lewis before being offered a job by his ex-commanding officer to work in telecommunications in 1963.
He enlisted the following year in the Army Reserves and served through 1985. He retired as a Staff Sergeant.
Al worked in the telephone industry for 33 years, including time in Seattle installing telephones across the Pacific Northwest. He visited 48 states for telecommunications and flew more than one million miles for work.
Al worked for Pioneer Tel in LaCrosse and Pacific NW Bell (AT&T) for 21 years, receiving many accolades and promotions.
Before retiring to Sequim, he lived in Lacrosse, Bellingham, Portland, Eugene, and Elkhart, Indiana.
Through the years, Al said he’s enjoyed camping and RVing, sometimes staying for months while traveling. In Sequim, he attends the Gateway Church.
On his memories of the Irrigation Festival, Al said he fondly remembers his dad and fellow loggers having contests backing up their logging trucks where the logging show occurs each year.