Story last updated at
9:11 PM on
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Long-time resident marks 90th birthday
Staff Report
For some, turning 50 is a landmark. For Wilma Gregory, that's how many years ago she moved to Homer.
Photo by Jeff Middleton
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But it was Gregory's 90th birthday, April 21, that brought the family together, including four of her children, five grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren from Homer, other Kenai Peninsula communities, Southeast Alaska and Washington state.
Gregory and her husband, the late Art Gregory, moved to Homer in May 1958, purchasing the Lee Kohler homestead. The couple tried their hand at farming, growing potatoes and carrots, as well as strawberries they sold to Alaska Wild Berry Products.
Born and raised on a farm in Minnesota, Gregory came to Alaska in 1947 "for the adventure," according to her daughter, Gayle Forrest of Homer. After the Gregorys moved to Homer, Art worked at road construction and surveying. He was a custodian at Homer High School and owned and operated his own custodial business. In 1974, the couple left Homer for a several years, living in Canada, New York state and Juneau, before returning to Homer in the early 1980s.
Gregory continues to maintain her own home, grows her own flowers and vegetables, and actively pursues her interests in crocheting, reading and traveling.
