Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Anyone who knew Alfred Gieck knew he was a man a few words, but all who knew him well know how powerful his words were. Grandpa was soft spoken, but funny, smart, and polite. The typical country boy, with his huge belt buckles, cowboy boots, and country accent. Grandpa didn’t talk a lot around the family table at Thanksgiving or Christmas, but when he did everyone was quiet and wanted to hear what he had to say. Grandpa had a character that made you want to respect him.
I started working for Gieck Construction when I was 13 years old. On my first day, my mom gave me some advice: “Stay close to Grandpa, you have a better chance of keeping pace with someone in his 60s, and he won’t tease you as much as your uncles.” Mom was right that Grandpa didn’t tease me a lot, but there was no way I was going to be able to keep pace with Grandpa over a 10-hour workday. Grandpa worked so hard and was so efficient in his work and movement that a no-nothing freshman in high school had no chance of keeping pace. It was better for me to split my time working with all the uncles and Grandpa because in little spurts they could be more patient with me. When I did rotate to help Grandpa, he didn't give me a lot of mindless grunt tasks like clean up. Grandpa always challenged me to do something that required skill and practice on the job site.
Grandpa and I are very different in terms of personality and profession. I talk all the time, even when I have nothing important to say, and I spend 8 hours sitting, working at a computer. However, I plan to grow up to be a man of action just like my grandpa. Grandpa worked hard and built an amazing legacy on the eastern plains of Colorado. When I see my grandma, my aunt, uncle, dad, mom, my brother, sister, my wife, and my kids, I think: “I am very proud and lucky to be a Gieck.” Grandpa would be proud of what he built, and I will work hard to add-on to his solid foundation here in Colorado.
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