Al Zumbrun
August 19, 1926 – May 29, 2013
Al never met a stereotype – it didn’t matter what race, gender, nationality or religion you were, when he met you he offered his hand and his name, asked you yours, and made sure he knew a fact or two about you before he left. If you were, by his standards, decent, honest and kind, you had his friendship.
Al was born and raised in Utica, NY. He had his first job at age ten during the Depression, stocking shelves for the corner grocery store and bringing his pay home to his mother.
Al’s first great love was baseball. When he was eleven there were no youth teams in Utica, no Little League. So, he put an ad in the paper asking for boys who wanted to play and dads who were willing to ump – and organized the first youth league in the city. Eventually, Al built a reputation as a pitcher, and he was offered contracts by both the Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians. Unfortunately, Al was scheduled to ship out two weeks later in order to serve in WWII. He was on the USS Westmoreland, when an injury to his pitching hand ended all possibility of a baseball career. Al was in the Pacific when the bombs were dropped on Nagasaki, and was one of several who chose to go ashore two days later. The devastation forever changed his feelings about war.
Back home in Utica, Al found the second love of his life – Dorothy Sheehan. Though they were married for over fifty years at the time she passed (eleven years before him),
to the day she died he never referred to her as anything except his “bride.”
A stroke took Al on the evening of May 29th. Death was instantaneous, and as far as anyone can tell, painless. To the moment of his death he was independent and helpful –
he died walking over to bring the Thriftway coupon book to his family.
Al is survived by his son-in-laws, Michael Sandahl and Steve Jones, by his
daughters Debbie Sandahl and Wintry Sheehan, his beloved grandson Josh Sandahl and granddaughter-in-law Randa and great-grandchildren Olivia and Patrick, and beloved granddaughter Gabi Rain Freeman-Sheehan.
Al adamantly refused to have a memorial service, but if you would like to do something in his name please consider a contribution to the Vashon Wilderness Program’s Scholarship Fund. Al was a passionate supporter of the program, and volunteered with them from the time of their inception to the day of his death.
Or, simply, when you think of Al, take just a few moments out of your day and offer your hand and name to a stranger.
Al always said he’d be happy if the only thing on his headstone was “See you later, alligator.”
After a while, crocodile.
Paid Obituary.
