On Monday, June 1, 2019, I received a heartfelt email message from the beautiful island of Hawaii asking for information regarding the Alford family. I was preparing to lay my brother to rest that day, so I disregarded the message. Three days later, Barbie Morgan reached out to me. She was also contacted by someone from the island of Hawaii, requesting information regarding the Alford family. Now my curiosity was piqued, but I was also hesitant, because as far I knew there are no Alford’s residing in Hawaii. Barbie agreed to pass along my contact info and after a brief conversation via text and phone calls, we connected the dots. When we saw the photos we immediately knew it was true. The uncanny resemblance was undeniable, and the DNA match sealed the deal; confirming what we already knew. Since then, our new-found family has been welcomed by several Alford’s via FaceTime and modern technology. We have spent hours exchanging stories, photos and family history. This summer, Loren Green had the pleasure of personally meeting the entire Tachera family for a joyous and emotional gathering. We all look forward to meeting the entire family at the next Alford reunion, if not sooner. Now you can honestly say, “Yes, I have cousins who live in Hawaii.”
Please join us in welcoming Gary Wayne Tachera; his wife Janice; sons, Wayne and Eric (Naomi); daughters, Michelle (Arcas) and Samantha (Pele); grandchildren Kamalani; Arcas “A.J.” Jr., Kamehanamauloa, Kuileipualilia “Kui”, Ku’unahenani, Ocean, Kaiao, Kaleohano and great-granddaughters Khenzie and Alina.
Gary Wayne Tachera is the son of Willie “Cracker” Alford; and Grandson of Lafayette Alford.