10/29/2009: Laurali Noteman
Tyler Hafen is one of Kanab’s "good ol’ boys". Now you can take that in a couple of ways. Yes he was born and raised here. His parents are Arlyn and Jeannine Hafen. But what truly makes Tyler a good old boy? He is! He’s just a heck of a nice kid with a mellow mannerism and kicked back kind of humor. (I probably shouldn’t call him a kid but shoot almost everyone is a kid to me anymore.)
Tyler hung around with Ben Johnson, Bucky Orton and Scott Moore when they were kids. They would play Nintendo, hike and camp in Tom’s Canyon and Swede’s field. "Mostly I remember playing ball," Hafen quipped. It only figures, his dad wasn’t just Arlyn Hafen he was "Coach Hafen" a wonderful mentor to his children as well as KHS students. Tyler was defensive back for the Cowboy Football team and played catcher and outfield on the school’s baseball team. "We (the football team) won state in my senior year. It was really kind of special. It was my senior year and dad’s last year of coaching."
I asked Tyler how he met Ebbi Lou Crosby. He didn’t really have an answer. "We grew up together. Ebbi has had a crush on me since I can remember. She chased me until she caught me." Hafen blushed and then added, "I finally gave up, stopped running and we tied the knot."
The couple have four children, 3 girls and a boy. They enjoy hunting, fishing, hiking, and sports.
Tyler was introduced to radiology by his brother, Jason. "I like this field of work. Being on call and getting called back in gets kind of hard but I like the job." Hafen performs regular x-rays, cat-scans and ultra sounds. He joined Kane County Hospital July 14, 2003. Tyler was one of the hospital recipients of our student programs which helped him achieve some of his radiology goals.
In closing Hafen commented, "I love it here in Kanab. That’s why I came back." How good does life get? You let your highschool sweetheart catch you, you have four great kids, you like the people you work with and the job you do. Life just doesn’t get better than that. We are awfully pleased Tyler and his family came home, they add a great deal to our community.
