Karen Albert says one of her dad’s biggest strengths was his overwhelmingly positive attitude, demonstrated during a recent physical therapy stay.
“He could have been discouraged, but he wasn’t,” she said. “He would say, ‘I walked 100 feet today!’ and he was just so proud. He set his goals, and he pretty much achieved them.”
Mr. Albert died March 22 at age 83 following a series of strokes. He was a carpenter and a longtime Boy Scout leader.
Although he was born in St. Louis, his family moved to Lonedell in Franklin County in the late 1940s.
“His parents bought a confectionery,” Karen said. “They sold gas, candy, pharmaceuticals, a little bit of everything.”
Mr. Albert dropped out of St. Clair High School after his sophomore year.
“His dad was diagnosed with Bright’s disease, and his mom needed him to help in the store,” Karen said.
When a young lady named Shirley came to help out in the store, romance bloomed, and she and Mr. Albert were married in 1956. They settled in High Ridge and had five children in 11 years.
Mr. Albert secured a carpentry apprenticeship in St. Louis, and worked on a number of remodel and rehab projects, both residential and commercial.
“He used to work at the Locust Building in downtown St. Louis, and he would take us three oldest girls with him,” Karen said. “I think he was hoping he could spark some kind of interest in carpentry.
“But all we wanted to do was ride the elevators and look at the big, fancy bathrooms, decorated differently on each floor.”
She said her father’s skills were passed down in the family.
“My son is a carpenter and in the Local (union),” she said. “And my brother-in-law isn’t one by trade but is a hobby carpenter.”
Mr. Albert knew how to relax and have a good time.
“He had this summer home on Indian Hills Lake in Cuba, and we went there most weekends in the summer,” Karen said. “We’d have barbecues, sometimes fish fries, and he would make homemade ice cream. He taught us all to drive the boat, and drove while we skied. He never skied, and my mom was terrified of water so she never went anywhere near the lake. But they made sure we all had swim lessons.”
He was involved in the Boy Scouts as a child, then was a leader as an adult.
“He stayed in it even after he got married and had four daughters in a row,” Karen said with a laugh. “We girls got to go along to a lot of the Scout activities, but we couldn’t join. Finally the last child was a son, and he was in Scouts.”
Mr. Albert was a car enthusiast and a skilled mechanic from an early age.
“My brother saw this 1965 Falcon at the top of our subdivision,” Karen said. “Dad bought it and they restored it and he got involved with the Gateway Falcon Club.”
The club’s annual conventions became a social thing for the whole family.
“”Last year we all went to the (convention) in Wichita,” Karen said. “All five of us siblings, his son-in-law, four of the grandkids. It was a three-day thing, and we all just enjoyed being with Dad.”
Mr. Albert also had a long-standing fascination with model trains.
“He had at least 15 sets – engine, cars, track,” Karen said. “He had some HO and Lionel, but his main type was American Flyer. When we were younger, he’d set up big displays in the basement or around the Christmas tree.”
Karen said her dad loved music and was “quite a ladies’ man.”
“He just loved women,” she said. “He would talk and talk and talk to them. He enjoyed listening to gospel; he and my mom would go hear the Lesters at the Meramec Theater in Steelville.
“He had never been to the symphony; but after my mom passed in 2016, he met a lady who liked it and he went with her and really enjoyed it.”
He enjoyed putting up decorations for the holidays.
“He loved Christmas, and he just enjoyed the whole process,” Karen said. “And he was always looking for new ideas.”
In late October 2018, Mr. Albert sought medical help for dizziness.
“They found two blocked arteries and a benign tumor on his pituitary gland,” Karen said. “In December, he had one carotid unblocked and a week later he had a stroke.”
Mr. Albert was diligent in rehab; he finished in February and was progressing well.
“He could walk with a walker, but he still had some weakness and paralysis in his left arm and hand,” his daughter said. “But he was getting better. He had tickets to the symphony and was looking forward to that.”
Another minor stroke was followed by a set of seizures, and Mr. Albert began a rapid downward decline.
“He just never really came back,” Karen said. “He ended up in the hospital on a Thursday. He came home on hospice on Friday and passed later that day.”
Karen said the family will remember her father’s sheer zest for life.
“Even after his stroke, he was eager to get back to doing the things he loved, like going to Ted Drewes and taking the grandchildren,” she said. “He always went big. It was kind of that way with everything; he went all out when he got interested in something.
“He just enjoyed life.”
“Life Story,” posted Saturdays on Leader Publications’ website, focuses on one individual’s impact on his or her community.