Kelly Lynn Alflen

Kelly Lynn Alflen was born October 14, 1952 in north central Kansas, and entered the presence of Jesus Christ, his Savior, on August 16, 2024 in Snohomish, WA in the company of family after a hard-fought battle with cancer. Kelly was child number five of eight born to Lloyd and Dorothy (Knoll) Alflen. He shared fond reflections of his early farm and family life in Kansas, and he was routinely described as gentle, loving, and compassionate. Kelly migrated from rural Kansas to Puyallup, WA with his family in 1962 where he graduated from Puyallup High School. He enlisted and served honorably in the U.S. Air Force and he remained a Washingtonian for the remainder of life, except for time spent on military assignments in Texas and Okinawa, Japan.

In 1971 Kelly married Marcia Jamieson of Everett, WA and they raised their family of four children (Jayna, Kellyn, Colin, and Birgitta) in the Everett-Snohomish area. Friends of their children also looked to Kelly and Marcia as parent figures, and they opened their hearts to them. Kelly’s parents had a deeply rooted faith in God as devoted followers of Christ, a faith they passed on in tangible and practical ways to him. That heritage of faith was embraced by Kelly and it became his personal commitment to follow Christ, a faith that held him through life and his elongated battle with cancer.

Kelly spent several years as a Safeway grocery store employee, but moved on to the finance office to specialize as a computer programmer. His Safeway experience and demonstrated ability opened a door for him to join Automatic Funds Transfer Services in Seattle as a computer programmer where he served for the remainder of his career. In many respects, he and his coworkers were pioneers in their field of computer financial services, and his value as a team member persisted beyond retirement. The company retained him as a contract employee due to his knowledge and expertise and he worked right up until the last month of his life.

Kelly is warmly remembered for many reasons, all of which were a direct reflection of his character. He loved his family, each and every member. The welfare and success of his children was always on his mind, and he spoke with fondness and love for each of them. Kelly enjoyed walks in the park, attending church services and events, and cooking and eating good food, which included a weekly visit to Outback Steakhouse and preparations of his personal specialties like Chinese rice and banana bread. Taking care of Marcia’s dachshund, Cooper, became part of his routine as a widower, and Cooper filled his companionship role with enthusiasm. Playing games of different sorts was a favorite pastime, whether a game of Yahtzee, Spades, or any one of numerous other card games. When he sat back to play games sitting in his big chair he would jokingly declare, “I ‘worn’ a car!” He routinely visited his aging mother and they would play games by the hour, initiated by a declaration as he entered the house, “Let the games begin!” Fast, shiny sports cars were truly amongst Kelly’s interests, and in seasons he did not own one, he was usually shopping, or at least wishing for one. His enthusiasm for muscle cars persisted into his senior years, and it was a familiar sight to watch Kelly emerge from the driver’s seat with a bright and shiny smile that rivaled the paint job on his latest prized auto.

Kelly’s last years were filled with newfound love and joy in his marriage to Margaret Mugo Alflen in April 2022. He truly believed Margaret was a gift from God to him after the loss of his wife Marcia in 2019, and he embraced her four children, Allan, Mark, Richard, and Abigail, as his own. He cherished his last years with her and his expanded family, and especially enjoyed leading them in family devotions to God centered around the Bible and prayer. Kelly’s family lovingly provided excellent care throughout his illness, along with friends, and gifted medical personnel.

Kelly was preceded in death by his first wife Marcia; parents Lloyd and Dorothy Alflen; brothers Gerald Alflen and Kelvin Alflen; and numerous extended family members whom he looked forward to joining in heaven. Kelly is survived by his wife Margaret Mugo Alflen and her children whom he received as his own: Allan, Mark, Richard, and Abigail; his firstborn daughter Jayna (Travis) Ferguson; son Kellyn (Kim) Alflen; son Colin (Ronda) Alflen; daughter Birgitta (Bobby) Moore; grandchildren Payton, Chessah, Shae, Reid, Rebekah, Raeghan, and Emeline; siblings Marsha Peterson; James Alflen, Dennis (Anita) Alflen, Darice (Les) Welk, and Martin (Kim) Alflen; and a very large number of extended family members and friends.

A celebration of life and memorial will be held on September 17, 2024 at 11:00am at Bauer’s Funeral Home in Snohomish, WA. All family and friends are invited to share in that time of remembrance with a luncheon reception to follow for all in attendance. Kelly will be laid to rest in a private family service at Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett, WA.

Memorial gifts not otherwise designated will be directed to Ambrosia Hotel in Nalvasha, Kenya ([email protected]). This effort is designed around an innovative business model that serves the community, with emphasis on issues related to mental health awareness and environmental conservation. Kelly had opportunity to provide mentoring support at a distance to participants in this unique outreach, and was able to share the Bible and pray with individuals in the process. The Gifts designated in Kelly’s memory will serve as a living remembrance of his life, a recognition of his contributions to the lives of others, and in honor of the Lord Jesus Christ whom he served.

I’m Free

Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free; I’m following the path God laid for me. I took His hand when I heard Him call; I turned my back and left it all. I could not stay another day to laugh, to live, to work or play. Tasks left undone must stay that way; I’ve found my peace at the close of day. If my parting has left a void, then fill it with remembered joy. A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss, ah, yes, these things I too, will miss.

Be not burdened with time of sorrow; I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow. My life’s been full, I’ve savored much: Good friends, good times, a loved one’s touch. Perhaps my time seemed all too brief; Don’t lengthen it now with undue grief. Lift up your heart and share with me; God wanted me now - He set me free.