Well, he may not look it but Forks handyman Moe Flores is going to have his 60th birthday on Sept. 5. Moe said he started working in third grade as a newspaper boy in southern California.
Moe recalls how a truck would pick him up at 3 a.m., he would get his newspapers and then get dropped off at Camp Pendleton where he would sell the papers. Then get dropped off at school, usually he was late, and he would spend the day at school with a pocket full of change. Moe said his before-school job caused some problems with his studying but he did finally graduate in 1975 and after graduation served in the military.
Eventually finding his way to the West End, Moe officially has been a handyman for about 11 years and Lynn Soloman’s right hand man for longer than that. Moe would like to thank Lynn for all his support, however he said, “Just don’t get Lynn talking politics and really don’t get Mark Soderlind and Lynn talking politics.” (Yes, we all know that.)
Moe’s No. 1 apology to his customers is that sometimes he takes on more work than he can handle and keeps people waiting … and yes, we all know that, too. Moe also is very generous with his time and has donated his cement finishing skills to many projects around town, including the Forks firehall and the recently completed food booth in the park.
Moe said of this 60th birthday milestone, “I will be ‘winding down’ in the next five years.” So, Happy Birthday, Moe!
