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closeCentenarian says getting up early is key to long life
Chris Albert
For more than a century Elmer Kelley has called the South Sound home.
On March 5, he celebrated his 100 birthday with friends and family at the Linden Grove Health Care Center in Puyallup.
“I’d have been older but my dad was bashful,” Kelley said of his age.
He grew-up with nicknames like “Red” and “Bill.” The first because of the bright red hair he use to have and the last for no other reason other than some people he worked with weren’t sure how to spell his name.
He was alive the last time Easter fell on March 23 in 1913 and even saw the first Daffodil Parade.
Through the years he’s kept his sense of humor and continues to tell stories.
“I think he’s always been easy going,” his son Mike Kelley said.
He still dresses himself every morning, reads the newspaper, votes and often looks forward to a good meal.
In 1908, Kelley was born to Albert and Mary Nelson Kelley. He was the fourth of five brothers and sisters. He’s the last sibling alive, but his sister Toots lived until she was 99 years-old.
Kelley said, when he was a child his brothers and sisters had one pair of shoes.
“So whoever got up first got the shoes,” he said.
Not only is getting up early important for shoes but also key to having a long life, he said.
In his youth and even into adulthood, Kelley spent many summers out on Lake Louise. At one point his brother even owned half the lake.
During the winters they’d ice skate on the lake.
There were a lot of shoe less summers for Kelley, because his siblings and him would be out and about enjoying their summer days.
“We couldn’t wear shoes in the summer,” he said. “They’d wear out too fast.”
In the early 1930s, Kelley met his wife Alma Wollesen. She was from Raymond, Wash. and when Kelley was courting her he would ride his Indian motorcycle up to Raymond and back. They were married in 1932 and moved to Fife.
At that time the Fife valley was an agricultural wonderland of vegetables and berries. They raised three children in Fife — Sharon, Linda and Mike.
Along with his children, Kelley has eight grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren and one foster grandchild.
They were together for 60 years before her death in 1992. He moved to Millridge Village retirement center and then Linden Grove Home in Puyallup.
During World War II, Kelley worked for the Northern Pacific Railroad. He did about every job there was, before retiring from the railroad in 1952.
In 1958, his friend from the railroad, Clete Vining, and him bought 30 acres along the what is now Freeman Road and founded Fife Sand and Gravel.
The pit was and still is used to make concrete. In 1973, his son Mike bought the company and to do this day it is family owned and operated. Mike’s sons now run it.
Many of the sand pit wells in the Fife valley were drove by Kelley. He also worked repairing and selling jacuzzi pumps.
“He’ll do just about anything for anybody,” Mike Kelley said.
Kelley was always making things. There was the time he made a tractor to plow the family garden. It tipped over and the neighbors had to help lift it off of him.
During a blizzard Kelley made a sleigh that could fit four people, so people could sled in the snow.
“He always made everything,” Mike Kelley said. “He was a jack-of-all trades. There wasn’t much he couldn’t do.”