October 11, 2023 is the one-year anniversary of Alan’s death. Here are my reflections:

One thing that was very important to Alan Tuntland, as he could see the end of his life coming, was that he not be forgotten.  His life had to mean something. He wanted to be remembered.

I would like to take this occasion to talk about how Alan wanted to be remembered. If you wish, feel free to respond with how you remember Alan.

From the early days of our courtship, Alan talked about wanting to be remembered as a successful man. By success he didn’t mean making a lot of money or living high on the hog. For Alan, success was about achievement. It was about doing your very best, trying new things and mastering most of them.

In spite of his tough businessman demeanor, Alan was really very sensitive. He craved approval.  He believed success was a way to gain approval.

Alan’s Youth: While he was a student in junior and senior high school in Brandon, SD Alan wanted to be popular.  He knew he could not become popular because of his good looks (not so much) or his top grades (not really cool). To be really successful at Brandon High School, you had to be a good athlete. So, starting in fifth grade, Alan spent hours every day shooting a basketball through his family farmyard basketball hoop.

 Alan played football in the fall and basketball in the winter. He ran track in the spring and played baseball in the summer.

Because of his own high standards, he continued to work at getting good grades. He was proud of holding the Brandon High School speed reading record, which stood for many years until his sister, Helen, topped his score. He was almost valedictorian of his senor class but had to settle for being number two in a class of 22. A hard-working female classmate beat him out of first place.

On the basketball court Alan played with a tall center named Bob Hoyt. Bob consistently scored 80% of the points in any game.  Alan had a unique method to be seen as more accomplished than he actually was. As editor of the school newspaper, Alan got to write the headlines for the sports section. After one important game he came up with the headline, “Tuntland and Hoyt Score 61 Points to Win District Title”. In the body of the story readers learned that Hoyt had scored 57 points and Alan had scored four!

In addition to gaining acceptance though his sports and academic talents, Alan intentionally worked on honing his sense of humor. His quick wit and sarcastic attitude enabled him to come up with funny one-liners on almost any occasion.

Alan’s College Years: So, what did success look like for Alan while in college?

Of course, he wanted to keep up his good grades, master the concepts of mechanical engineering, and be invited to join important organizations like Blue Key. But being successful on the social scene was also important.

Alan’s South Dakota State College friends talk about the impression he made when he moved into the freshman dorm. He brought a list of all the girls he had dated to date and proudly showed it to every young male student he ran into.

Success was getting a date for all the official functions.  Jitterbugging around the floor at the Student Union on Friday nights, with a pretty girl as a partner, was definitely a mark of success at South Dakota State College.

One way to be successful on the Brookings campus was to have “wheels”. Alan’s dad, Olaf, provided a nice car so his son could drive his friends around. Olaf even allowed Alan to use his plane to fly three friends to Indiana in 1963 to watch the Jack Rabbits play in a NCAA college division basketball tournament.

Alan’s Young Adult Years: In Alan’s 20s, 30s and 40s, Alan’s personal success was defined by raising a family and by his entrepreneurial accomplishments. He enjoyed buying small businesses and making them grow. He not only looked to the bottom line as a measure of his success; he also looked at the number of people he employed.  Success was helping families live the good life because of the gainful employment Alan gave them. Alan regarded awarding his employees with bonuses and promotions as an essential aspect of business success.

Alan’s Early Retirement Years:  In his 50s success for Alan centered around serving on more than a dozen corporate and community boards.

He enjoyed volunteering for causes such as city long-range planning, education, and affordable housing. He gave his “all” to many charitable organizations and usually ended up in a leadership position.

In this phase, success was being able to use some of the money he made to give back to those who had been less fortunate. He wanted to create opportunities for people.

In his 60s Alan got re-involved with South Dakota State by serving on the Foundation Board. He not only succeeded in raising millions of dollars for SDSU, but also reconnected with many friends from his college days. Being able to spend time with people that had similar Midwestern backgrounds and values made Alan’s 60s a very successful time in his life. 

Civic leadership, political and charitable fundraising, philanthropy, and a large home in Rochester, MN were symbols of Alan’s success in his 60s.

During this time one of Alan’s major accomplishments was buying a Malibu single engine airplane and learning to fly this high-performance aircraft. He then converted the piston Malibu into a turbine JET Prop. He took intensive training so he could be fully competent to fly at 26,000 feet above sea level and in all kinds of weather conditions. Alan flew his beloved N9GF all across the country, taking pleasure trips and raising money for SDSU.  

Alan’s most successful and daring adventure in his Jet Prop was the 32-day trip to the tip of South America and back. He joined the pilots of three other single engine planes to make this amazing air journey.

Alan’s Later Retirement Years: When Alan was in his 70s it was more important than ever for him to be master of his own time.

Success was the freedom to move to a warmer climate and to travel whenever he wanted. His goal was to set foot on all seven continents-- which he accomplished in February of 2020 when he and Sharon took a trip to Antarctica. Little did they know that one month after they returned, Alan would be diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer.

While he lived in the Tampa area, Alan made one disastrous attempt to get back into a leadership position. He missed doing financial analysis and creating spreadsheets. So, he joined the neighborhood HOA board and spent hours creating reports that no one wanted to look at.

But in his last years Alan mostly enjoyed sitting on the couch reading the news or watching TV. He liked to invite new Florida friends to join him for lunch or dinner. To cool off, he took numerous daily dips in his backyard pool.  

Alan’s Slow Down Years: Even during Alan’s slow down years, he continued to find opportunities to give speeches. He had a need to share his thoughts, both publicly and privately.  He wanted to share what he had learned as a way to educate, influence, and entertain people. He wanted people to respect him and like him. He was a good speaker.

During his slow down years, Alan’s thoughts on how he wanted to be remembered evolved. He no longer thought it important to be in control and to have significant achievements. 

He did not care about being regarded as financially successful. Rather, he wanted to be remembered as a good man. In fact, he wanted his epitaph to read, “Here lays Al Tuntland.  He was a kind man”.

As Alan came to terms with his Stage IV cancer diagnosis, he gave total control to God. It gave him peace to know that he no longer had to be responsible for what would happen in his life. He no longer had to be in charge. He could quit fighting and achieving. In fact, as he read his devotional books each day, he started to look forward to the next phase. He was satisfied with the life he had lived on this earth.  And he knew that life in heaven would be even better.

As a way to continue influencing people, one of Alan’s last actions was to create a video that could be played at his funeral. In it he confirmed his belief in a higher power. He talked about the joy he was expecting to feel after he passed.  He let people know that he was looking forward to welcoming his family and friends when they joined him in heaven.

Next Phase for Sharon

For those who don’t know it, I have decided to sell my Rochester house and move to Tucson, Arizona where my sister Paulette lives with her husband, Dan Kasperski. Moving day is November 5, 2023.

My address is:

Sharon Tuntland

38267 S. Granite Crest Drive

Tucson, AZ 85739

My phone number is still 507-358-0400 and my email is still shtuntland@yahoo.com.

Alan Tuntland's family looks forward to hearing from you.