Longtime Valley resident approaching 100th birthday party

WASILLA — Longtime Alaskan resident, Duffie Mallonee is turning 100 years old October 7.

“I finally made it to 100 and I don’t feel like I’m 100. I might look like it but I’m not worried about that,” Mallonee said.

While Mallonee currently resides out of state, she still calls Alaska her home.

“I think there’s any place like Alaska. It’s home to me, and it has been for years… I’m not crazy about the long winters and cold weather, but we do get sunshine up there and get warm days. You just gotta learn to live with what you’ve got, then you get to where life gets. That’s what happened to me,” Mallonee said with a laugh.

Mallonee moved to Alaska in the spring of 1951 while Highway 1 was being rebuilt at Gulkana, according to her son, Rudy Mallonee.

“She has many adventures to tell about her life in Alaska. Although she has outlived all of her friends of near her age, she still has many younger friends in Alaska,” Rudy said.

Mallonee moved up from Nevada and settled on the banks of the Gulkana River with their children with her husband, Rudolph. Rudy said they moved around the state after a while, living in areas such as Anchorage and Kenai, and eventually found their way to Finger Lake.

Mallonee said that she enjoyed her time working with the public as a pharmacy technician over the years.

“You learn a lot and you learn a lot from your customers too,” Mallonee said.

Mallonee’s family is throwing her a “Super Birthday Party” to celebrate the major milestone.

“That oughta be fun,” Mallonee said with a laugh. “I just want to make sure I’m in good health and get out and do the things I want to do with nothing to stop me or bother me. I’ve worked like that all of my life… I think you have to keep busy, and I think you have to keep busy and keep your mind alert… Not too many people get to be 100.”

Family means everything to Mallonee. She said that she lost her daughter in recent years, but she’s thankful to still have her son, grandkids, and other family members surrounding her with love and support.

“I’m thankful that God put me on this earth and that he kept me here this long,” Mallonee said. “I’ve got my son with me, and oodles and oodles of friends.”

Rudy said that his mother gets around pretty well for someone her age. He said that she’s one of the nicest people you could ever meet.

“She’s really outgoing and she’s friendly with everybody. She’s pretty independent. She never needed any help to do things and didn’t want it,” Rudy said with a laugh. “Being your own person, staying independent, work, and make a good life for yourself, she’s taught me that sort of thing.”

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com