Albert Alan Hoelting, Capt., USNR, passed away Feb. 15, 2005. Al was born in Roundup, Mont., in 1919 and grew up in Seattle, graduating from Franklin High School and the University of Washington. At the UW, he was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, and remained an ardent Husky football fan for life. His two summers working at Paradise Lodge on Mount Rainier during college remained a “peak” experience his whole life.

After graduating from college, Mr. Hoelting married Pansy Patricia Hall in 1942, who remained the girl of his dreams through 62 years of marriage. Immediately after college and midshipman school came Pearl Harbor, and Al served as commander of a naval vessel in the South Pacific during WWII. He also served during two years of the Korean conflict, and retired as a Captain after 22 years in the Naval Reserves.

He worked for 15 years in the insurance business, including four happy years in British Columbia as manager of the Home Insurance Company. He spent the rest of his career in real estate, including several years with the Wailea Resort on Maui, and his final 13 working years as director of marketing at The Resort at Port Ludlow. His years at Port Ludlow were among the happiest of his life.

Al and Pat moved to Whidbey Island in 1988, spending his final 17 years surrounded by children and grandchildren in the South Whidbey community. A devoted husband and father, he is survived by his wife, Patricia; four children; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren, including daughter Leslie Hoelting (husband Greg Davidson) and her children Keith and Colleen McMahon and Michael Davidson; son Kim Hoelting (wife Heidi Hoelting) and their children Sky and Camille; son Kurt (wife Sally Goodwin) and children Kristin and Alex; and daughter Dana Kelly (husband Doug Kelly) and their children Sara and Megan. He is also survived by his sister Adele (and Ben) Iverson and their family.

Al Hoelting was never more inspiring than in his final months and weeks of life. He died at Enso House, a Zen hospice center on Double Bluff, after a battle with cancer, which he bore with courage, good humor, and an unstinting gratitude for the many blessings of his 85 years. He was surrounded by his wife and all four of his children at the time of his death.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. today at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church in Freeland. The family requests that any donations in Al’s memory be sent to Enso House or St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church.