Kathryn Deal and her husband were living in Michigan with their 14-month old daughter when his mother, who was living in Alaska at the time, suggested they drive up and check out the “the land of opportunity.” “If we didn't like it, we could always go back,” said Kathryn, “so we drove the Alaskan Highway (what a trip) and crossed the Alaskan border May 31, 1964.”

Once in Alaska, Kathryn and her husband began looking for jobs. Her husband was hired by what is now AT&T Alascom on Government Hill in Anchorage as a maintenance man/supervisor. Kathryn worked for the customer service division of Municipal Light and Power, where she was a trainer for the customer service employees. “My job was fun and the staff even more so. Every training class was taken very seriously and the staff put their all into serving the customers as nice and quick as possible. These people, the staff, are all wonderful performers at their job because they are wonderful people to begin with, and working with them was a privilege all on its own,” she said. Kathryn retired in April 2015, while her husband retired approximately sixteen years ago.

Kathryn and her husband now enjoy running "Deal’s Bed & Breakfast" out of their home. “Doing this helps to give us additional income and also something to do now. We are not sitting around much,” she said. “We enjoy the guests, share many stories from our homestead days, and have made many new friends,” she said. When the Deals travel, they visit some of those new friends when they can.

“My retirement will allow my husband and me to have additional monies, health care, and of course, more time to spend with each other, as well as enjoy our Deal’s Bed & Breakfast, which is our home,” she said. While employed, in anticipation of retirement, Kathryn had the goal to work for ten years for the Municipality of Anchorage in order to receive benefits from the AlaskaCare Retiree Health Plan for herself and her husband. This paid off, as her husband became ill and retired with a disability. The Deals also prepared for retirement by setting aside monies in a saving account and a 457b.

Kathryn’s advice for those members preparing for retirement is to plan for the future as much as possible. “I encourage everyone to save as much independently from Social Security and work as possible. Learn how to become your own investor so the retirement dream is a dream—not a nightmare,” she said. As part of planning for the future, Kathryn encourages members to “get your house, car(s), everything paid off so life is easier. The more retirement monies you have, the better off you will be,” she advised.

Although the Deals are enjoying their life running their bed & breakfast, Kathryn predicts that the day will come when they want to downsize, and they continue to plan for the future when that day comes. For folks who may find themselves in a similar situation, Kathryn suggests they “sell the big house for a smaller one where the costs are less.”

Apart from their new gig as bed & breakfast owners, the Deals are enjoying the other aspects of their retirement. “We plan to travel in the winter, in the warmer states where we have family and friends. Alaska is home as we came here and never left (except for vacations). The summer is the best time here and the long daylight gives us so much energy to do multiple tasks at hand. Additionally, we plan to travel some in the winter months—to the warmer climates—and enjoy more sun,” she said.

The Deals enjoy spending time with their nine grandchildren and a great-grandson, which they can now do more often in retirement. “They come over often, spend nights with us, and in the summer when they are out of school, we get to spend more time with them. It is amazing to see them grow up so fast,” she said. “Our grandchildren do such different things; exchange student, hockey, swimming, learning French, learning German, cooking, babysitting, learning to drive, working at the bed & breakfast, traveling, and much more!”

“I love retirement, it offers my husband and I the chance to do more together and to look forward to spending family time with our daughters and extended family. Life is wonderful!”

If you would like to learn more about how your State of Alaska retirement can allow you to enjoy a comfortable retirement, please contact the Division toll-free at (800) 821-2251 or at (907) 465-4460 in Juneau.

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