At Salem’s first Elderfest, Gene Derfler shares life lessons after 100th birthday
When Gene Derfler told the audience that he starts most mornings with 30 minutes on the treadmill and a climb up seven flights of stairs, he was met with gasps and applause from the audience.
“I try to stay active because I know if you don’t keep moving, pretty soon you can’t move,” he said, to solemn nods from listeners at Salem’s inaugural Elderfest, held in the Loucks Auditorium.
Derfler had turned 100 years old the week before.
He shared stories from his life in the Navy, as a Salem business owner and in the state Capitol during Salem’s first Elderfest gathering on May 30, organized by longtime Center 50+ volunteer Lee Coyne who asked him questions on stage.
After their discussion, the Just For Fun Singers shared a selection of songs, including “Singin’ in the Rain,” and the “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” medley which got the audience clapping along. The singers were in their 60s through 90s, several close to turning 100 themselves.
Coyne hopes that the gathering on Thursday, which brought a small but engaged crowd nearing retirement age, will be the first of many. Held during Older Americans Month, he said in an interview with Salem Reporter that he hoped the event would share the importance of respecting the older generation, and promote understanding between generations.
He said in a time where communities feel divided, ”I think the commonality of aging is one facet that can bring us together,” he said.
Coyne said that he wanted to bring a local 100 year old into the spotlight, because he was intrigued in their life experiences. He had hoped to put together a panel, but two of the scheduled speakers dropped out.
Derfler, who now lives at Capital Manor, had plenty to fill the allotted time.
He was born in Portland in 1924, and learned to drive on a Ford Model T. After graduating high school, he joined the Navy and during World War II flew planes over the Atlantic to look out for submarines.
While enlisted, he met a waitress named Thelma while in Iowa. He wrote her letters every night.
“She was teaching school at that time. And she would get the letters, and she would correct them and send them back,” he said, smiling.
They were married for 77 years, until her death in 2022.
The couple had three children, who Derfler said are doing well for themselves because of his wife’s hard work. He said work kept him busier than it should have.
“Sometimes, when you grow up the way we did, we were pretty dedicated to getting ahead. We didn’t want to live that way, like we did in the 30s, so most people at that time really worked hard to get ahead and sometimes we neglected the family,” he said.
Derfler started running NICO Furniture in Salem in the 1950s, and operated the business for 30 years before selling it, according to the Oregon State Capitol Foundation.
He said that running that business showed him the issues with Oregon’s workers compensation system, which he said some of his young employees had abused.
“I ended up putting two more kids through school than I had planned on,” he said and laughed during the presentation.
The issue compelled him to run for government, and he was first elected as an Oregon state representative in 1988. He said that he knocked on 10,000 doors in west Salem to barely scratch a win against an incumbent.
He was then elected as a state senator in 1994, and was the Senate majority leader from 1991 to 1999 before serving as Senate president in 2001, according to the Capitol Foundation.
He said that in his time in government, he tried to vote for whatever would do more good than harm. He said he’s proudest of leading the reform of the workers compensation system to expand employee benefits and save businesses money.
At Capital Manor, Derfler stays active with woodworking, including artfully crafted wooden fish. He spends much of the year crafting wooden toy trucks to send to Head Start chapters in Salem, Keizer, and Polk County.
When Coyne was done with his questions, he opened the floor to the audience. One asked him for the secret of living to 100. Derfler said he stays on top of diet and exercise, but believes the biggest contributor is out of anyone’s control.
“Having great ancestors,” he said.
Coyne has high hopes for next year’s Elderfest, and has already started thinking about topics to highlight.
“We may be the first shot of having Elderfest as a national holiday,” he told the audience.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article misspelled Lee Coyne’s name in some instances. The story has also been updated to rephrase Derfler’s role in NICO Furtniture. Salem Reporter apologizes for the errors.
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251
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Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
