Alberta Antoinette (Zulauf) Flintoft (1913 - 2002)

Born 23 Mar 1913 in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri

Ancestors

Wife of James William Flintoft — married 26 Oct 1935 in Seattle, King County, Washington

Descendants

Died 18 Sep 2002 at age 89 in Issaquah, King, Washington, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Annette Allen [send private message]

Biography

Mom was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and when her mother died in the 1918 Flu Epidemic, her father moved the four children to Seattle, with the expectation that his mother and sisters would take care of them. His mother spoke only German, which the children did not understand. His sisters wanted no part of taking care of them, so he hired a woman named Mrs. Hose, who lived in Pacific to take care of them. He would visit them on the weekends. Mom became the children's mother, and loved the control. Her brother and sisters were more important to her than her own family.

When Grandpa Zulauf moved the children from St. Louis, he told his wife's family that he was to be married, but in fact he had not yet met his second wife, Bertha Mae Southard. He married Bertha three weeks after meeting her in 1924. He agreed that the children would stay with Mrs. Hose, and that he and May would live in an apartment. However, when the people they were renting the apartment from wanted to move back into the apartment, he bought a house and moved the children back with he and Mae. The children gave Mae fits, and she was ready to leave Albert when she found out she was pregnant with their daughter, Velva, so she stayed.

OBITUARY

Alberta Z. Flintoft, of Issaquah, passed away on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 at home in Issaquah.  
  
Alberta was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of Albert and Antoinette Zulauf.  When she was five years of age the family moved to Seattle near Greenlake.  Alberta graduated from Roosevelt High School and Edison Technical School specializing in tayloring.  On October 26, 1935 she married James William Bill Flintoft.  They worked for Clark Rafferty and Putman Funeral Home in Freemont for a few years prior to moving to Issaquah in 1938.  That year they opened Flintoft's Issaquah Funeral Home and Ambulance Service. In addition to her funeral career she also raised exotic birds and was well known throughout the world for her knowledge of birds. She took first place at the Seattle World's Fair in 1962 with several of her birds.  Her husband served as Mayor of Issaquah for several years. He preceded her in death on December 14, 1971.  Alberta enjoyed working at the funeral home and spending time with her family and birds.

Survivors include her son Thomas, of Issaquah;  a daughter Annette Allen, of Colorado;  two sisters, Virginia Stevens, of Whittier, California and Velva Saltarelli, of Seattle;  five grandchildren and one great grandchild.  She was preceded in death by two sons, J.W. Flintoft in 1941 and Michael J. Flintoft in 1991; one sister Frances Adkins in 1980 and one brother Charles Louis Zulauf, in 1987.



A family graveside service was held at the Hillside Cemetery.

Friends are invited to sign the family's on-line 
guest book at www.flintofts.com.




Alberta, a name that would be heard every day at the funeral home.  
Alberta likes a hamburger, once a week.
It just seems so unreal, to be here saying goodbye to Alberta.

It seemed so odd to sit with Tom and Allen, and listen to them, as they told me through their tears, the stories that abound when the name of Alberta is mentioned.

Alberta has the distinction of being the oldest Apprentice Funeral Director in the state.  60 years she held that license.

She was a strong woman, a good athlete in school.  Her strength came in handy for some of the chores she had to do, running a busy ambulance and funeral home business.

She was quite the driver;
Allen could testify to that on the many trips he made to the crematorium in Puyallup, sat in the back of the van with THE CLIENT, as his Grandma drove.  

As a Cub Scout leader, Alberta would use the limo to take the cubs on outings. Alberta finally did quit driving, but she never did quit riding.  Any excuse and she would be on her way to ride shotgun. She became the carpool dummy, for the late afternoon trips to the ME's office.
Then there was the time she drank some spiked punch and drove home very happy, not knowing she had passed the happy hour test.


Alberta had a love for good food, especially the Oaktree Restaurant on the way to Portland, always insisted that Allen stop there, it makes Allen gag just to remember the experience, so bad was the food.



Here was a lady with goals to achieve, but these goals helped her to live longer.  One goal was the wedding of Allen and Trish, after that it was the millennium. 
What you going to live for now Grandma? Allen asked.
Oh, I don't now, but I'll think of something. She replied.
Trish remembers the piece of advice Alberta gave her the first time they met; Don't eat too much and get fat.


Alberta Flintoft is a name that is forever linked to BIRDS.  It all started with a Peach Faced Love Bird.  So good was she with her birds, Alberta won all the awards that she could get her hands on.  I am sure you have all seen her 1962 Worlds Fair Awards.  Nothing but the best for her birds, she would stop and buy the best carrots and vegetables, quite often on her way home from a funeral.  Stopping at wayside markets would ensure a quick deal and off Alberta would drive with sacks of vegetables stacked in the back of the hearse.  Did I say the best veggies, sure, for the birds, the family got the leftovers. 
Quite often she would be bitten half to death by these pesky feathered friends, but that did worry Alberta, They don't mean it.
If a bird bit anyone else, 
What did you do? You must have done something.
Birds like Herman the German, he would bite anything that moved.  And if they weren't biting they were warning you that the cops had arrived, or singing, Hail, hail, the gangs all here, during the quiet time in a funeral service.
 Family get togethers were very important to Alberta, 4th of July, etc.  Her Macaroni Salad was famous.

Saturday shopping was a trip with Alberta, she could save lots of money with all the coupons she clipped.

Then there was the collection of cookie jars, lots of cookie jars.

Then there was the collection of TV Dinner trays, lots of TV Dinner trays.

Everyone knew that this day would come, but not just yet.

Grandma was more than a mom to Allen.
How you doing, Grandma?
Still a kickin.


Alberta had a request that when she died she would be laid to rest in a specially made casket by Louie at Puyallup Casket.


Burial

Hillside Cemetery, Issaquah, King, Washington

Sources

Yvonne Allen