Alaska Department of Administration

Division of Retirement and Benefits

Edited by LM 3/13/24

December Round Up
Short Stories from Our Retirees

  1. Bob Mitchell
  2. Chad Resari
  3. Maybelle Hamilton
  4. Ronald Crowe

Bob Mitchell

Bob Mitchell

Robert “Bob” Mitchell worked for the Department of Administration as a “computer guy”. He retired in 2008 and moved with his wife Jeanie to Boulder Colorado. There, Jeanie attended Naropa University and Bob worked in the daycare his grandson attended, allowing them to enjoy extra time together.

Later, the couple moved to Spokane, Washington, where Bob reconnected with an old friend and music partner, Dan Beamer. Together they spent time writing songs and recording music. They also has good success performing locally until the COVID-19 pandemic put a damper on live performances. Despite this, Bob has thoroughly enjoyed recording the songs that had been in his head for years, including several with Alaska roots.

You can listen to Bob’s music on Soundcloud, https://on.soundcloud.com/hRHB8.

Chad Resari

Chad Resari

Chad Resari retired from the Anchorage School District in 1996 and enjoys running in his spare time. He has participated in the Mount Marathon Race in Seward, Alaska over 20 times. In 2021, Chad completed the race as the oldest finisher at 85 years old! His youngest daughter, Trina has also picked up the running bug and competes alongside her father. She and her four kids, along with a family friend, ran the last quarter of the Mount Marathon Race with Chad, encouraging him on to the finish line.

Chad and his wife’s State of Alaska retirement has allowed them to visit family in Wisconsin, Hawaii, and South America. But their favorite place is their home, Alaska.

Maybelle Hamilton

Maybelle Hamilton

Maybelle Hamilton moved to Alaska in 1957 to work as a physical therapist at the Alaska Treatment Center. She became the first to be licensed in Alaska when it became a State in 1959 and worked there for 20 years. Maybelle then began working in the public school system at the Helen S. Whaley Center and Denali Elementary School.

Saving for retirement was not easy while raising four kids, but Maybelle and her husband did the best they could while working as many years as they were able. They set up retirement funds and supplemented their income by investing in real estate in Anchorage.

Maybelle's State of Alaska retirement made it possible for her to live in a beautiful retirement community in Southwest Florida, where she spends time keeping up with family and friends—and making new ones. She also loves reading western novels, knitting, and walking in the warm breeze of the Sunshine State.

Maybelle's advice to those preparing for retirement is, “Enjoy your time with your workplace family, don't let it pass without fully enjoying everyone and everything around you, and your retirement will be all the more enjoyable.”

Ronald and Kandy Crowe

Ronald Crowe

Ronald Crowe is a master’s degree graduate and retiree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). At the university, he worked as an editor at the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) from 1972 to 1986. He also enrolled as a graduate student there, earning his Master of Fine Arts (MFA). His thesis was a collection of published poems set in Alaska, many of which were prize-winning.

Ronald and his wife, Kandy were married in Fairbanks in 1977, where Kandy worked as a Magnetic Tape Selectric Typewriter Operator (MTST). When ISER became part of the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) in 1984, Ronald and Kandy moved to Anchorage. Kandy enrolled in the UAA nursing school, graduating as a Registered Nurse (RN) in 1990.

Ronald retired from ISER in 1986, and after 12 years in Anchorage, he and Kandy moved to Monticello FL, where they now reside. Avid travelers, Ronald and Kandy visited England, Scotland, Wales, the Netherlands, Hawaii, Australia, and New Zealand while living in Alaska, and have visited France and Bermuda since their move to Florida. Even though they have been all over the globe, Ronald declares that “…the best travels were those all over Alaska. The best memories (were) made there.”

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.


Inspired to share a story of your own? We'd love to hear it!

Page Last Modified: 03/13/24 08:28:35