POULSBO — Dr. John Harlan almost spent his career at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, but one trip to the chiropractor marked the beginning of an adventure that lasted almost five decades.

John, who was one of three chiropractors in Poulsbo in 1958, is retiring this month. His younger brother, Dr. Tom Harlan, is taking over his practice on Fjord Drive.

“I was just out of high school and was in the drafting/engineering program at the Navy shipyard,” John recalled. “I developed a lot of pain in my back and shoulder area and went to see the chiropractor here in Poulsbo.”

After leaving the chiropractor’s office feeling much better physically, he said he made the decision to become a chiropractor himself.

“I went to chiropractor college in St. Louis, and soon as I graduated I came back to Poulsbo,” John said.

In 1958, he began his professional career with Dr. Kenneth Rasmussen on Front Street.

“You could still walk down the waterside of the street and look between the buildings and see water,” John said. “There was no parking lot.”

State Route 305 and Poulsbo Village had yet to arrive, so downtown was pretty much all there was of the city, he said.

“When it snowed you could sled all the way down Lincoln Hill to downtown Poulsbo,” John said.

Even though many residents at the time spoke Norwegian fluently, there was no language barrier, John said.

Tom, who was going into the sixth grade at the time, said he remembers when his older brother opened his Front Street office.

That memory led him to follow in his brother’s footsteps and he eventually began his career under his brother’s tutelage.

“He was an inspiration,” Tom said. “I knew if he could do it, I could do it, too.”

The brothers shared an office at the intersection of Lincoln Road and SR 305 for 10 years, before John moved to his Fjord Drive location in 1990.

For all of the mayors, city council members, shipyard workers, construction workers and others John has served over the years, one of his youngest patients still causes him to pause and reflect.

A young couple brought their son to his office on their way home from the hospital, and John recalls the child had an awful case of eczema, which caused his neck to be improperly aligned.

“We got him fixed up and the next time I heard of him, he died in Vietnam at the age of 18,” he said. “That really focuses you.”

Along with the sorrows have come more than a world of joys as multiple generations of families have come to his practice and become part of his extended family, he said.

“I’ve never worked a day in my life,” he said. “It’s been an addiction.”

Helping people through the years has been a delight and that joy has been what’s kept him looking forward to coming to the office every day for the last 49 years, he said.

Now at the twilight of his career, John said he is glad to know that his brother will be treating all those who have come to trust his steady hands over the years.

“I really, really feel confident that he’s taking over,” John said.

After watching his brother build a successful practice, Tom said he considers it an honor to succeed him.

“I got most of my training from him, so I’m well-grounded,” Tom said. “Hopefully, people will feel comfortable with me. They’ve just got to give me a test drive.”