All Condolences -

Margaret & family, we are so sorry to hear of your loss....Al was such a homorous guy and will be missed by us all! We pray the Lord will comfort and give you strength. Love you!
— Chuck and Carol Martin

We are so sorry to hear about Al. Praying for your family at this difficult time.
— Kevin and Gail Moyer

Al’s death is an enormous loss for his family, co-workers, our community and all whoever knew, respected and loved him. He was a thoughtful, fair and kind man. In my case, the first time I met Al we had an argument. The second time the disagreement was more intense. By the third time, I realized that Al was right and I was wrong and I also came to grips with the idea that I had started to appreciate this man. The fourth time, I asked Al if he would help me with a home project and he looked at me and said, “I was told never to work for you, John… you are too demanding…” I asked him to please reconsider and to give me a try. The fifth time I ran into him Al approached me and declared, “OK, I’ll try it but none of this mental stuff.” We shook hands and a 22 year friendship followed. I never told Al what to do – I just presented the situation to him and he told me what we had to do to fix the problem. Al would want me to start this remembrance by getting all the bad things out about him first – (so here we go) Al enjoyed his Captain Morgan. Yes, Al was in the Navy but Captain Morgan was not in charge of Al’s ship. I usually gave Al a gallon of Captain Morgan once a year and he would nourish it with pride and enjoyment for months on end. Second, he loved to ride his motorcycle and I think he showed off a little. He had just bought a newer cycle right before he got sick that on hot and sunny days he would ride up my driveway while I was cutting the grass to point out to me how much fun he was having and how much he enjoyed seeing me work on such a fine day! And, third, he overconsumed and enjoyed his Dunkin Donuts and Tim Hortens coffee. He also craved hamburgers from PT’s a restaurant in Wilmington North Carolina. He once told me that PT’s had the best hamburgers he ever consumed. Anyone who went into Worth Smith usually asked for Al. He always had a smile on his face. He would encourage his customers to take on any project. And I mean any project! He would tell them to follow these steps and all would be well. I have heard him many times tell people using pipe wrap – now hold it in your left hand and go clockwise three times with your right. I have always looked at Worth Smith as the Band of Brothers and Sisters who stuck together no matter what. Al was the glue that cemented and promoted this kind of togetherness. Honestly, I don’t know how the store will go on without him but I know it will. Al was the type of guy who had something that the rest of us always dream of and that is patience. I often saw him listening and guiding women and mechanically ignorant men, like myself, through a problematic situation at their home. We never knew the name of the damn thing we were referring to so Al got a picture of confused distinction from us – the narrative often went like this: “Al it just stop running…I know it is this one gadget on the left side of the furnace – it used to get hot and hum and the little wheel inside would go around in circles but now it doesn’t – Al what should I do?” At this point, Al would humbly describe the problem, give it a name and offer a solution. With the solution, though, came a hand on the customers shoulder and encouragement that he or she can fix the problem him or herself just by remembering these 2 or 3 things. What made Al frustrated were the manipulators of products and the people who would grab something off the shelf and walk out the door. People who would come in and buy, for example, a Carhardt suit that had a 30 day return policy. The person would go out and wear the suit – work in the suit – then 29 days later return it to the store for a refund with some bizarre and nonsensical but self-serving reason for returning it. When this happened, Al would grit his teeth, accept the product back, and declare - rules are rules! As I was preparing this eulogy, I kept questioning myself as to the things that made Al such a good store manager and what made people want to seek him out and get his advice - I concluded that he simply: Connected with his customers – he listened He was decent and polite He did it all and had a generic knowledge of things He was down to earth with a preponderance of common sense He was able to listen, teach and give confidence to people and He understood human frailty and insecurity and worked around it – he was enthusiastic about getting the (your) project done and that enthusiasm was contagious Over the years, I have fortunately or unfortunately seen the best as well as the very worst in people – I have seen good people do good things and bad people do horrible - evil things. Al represented the integrity, goodness and honesty that we all hope for in ourselves and our neighbors. He was down to earth. He never gossiped. I never heard Al say a bad word about any of his fellow employees or anyone at all. Even though at times I know he was disappointed in how others behaved. Al was very proud of his children and grandchildren. He deeply loved his wife, Margaret, his daughter Krista, her children Charlie and Liam, and his son Nick. Nick is very much like his dad - a problem solver, a creator, an inventor and a hard worker. Every weekend, Nick, I heard about your trips overseas from your dad and how these big corporations were depending on you to keep everything running smoothly. He was very proud of you and your accomplishments. Al has always lived by the edict that you can take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves. Al built something fine and good and long lasting and I am humbled by the good fortune of having known him as a friend. I don’t know why God has taken Al, but we have to remember what Einstein (a religious non-believer) once said “God does not play dice.” Frankly, I’m not pleased with his decision, but the other night I had a dream of Al standing before God and God asking him: “Al, How can I keep the air conditioning going in heaven? Al - What is the best way to drill a holy water well? Al – what backup generator should I buy to keep things running up here? Al – who makes the best lawnmower for cutting holy land? Al, and on and on and on. Al‘s grace in his final days was startling. He believed in his God and the power of faith. He went into his first operation believing that all would be well. He spoke to me with pride about all the doctors that would be in the operating room with him and the fancy machines they were going to hook him up to him if problems developed. His only complaint about his care was when the doctors asked him to consider nursing home placement during his initial recovery. When they presented this to him, Al called me and related: “John, I’d go crazy… that would be the worst thing for me… I need to be home… Margaret needs me - my dog (Cody) misses me.” What can you say? His love for his family was unparalleled and unconditional. Though his body eventually failed, his spirit never did. Like the facilitator that he was all of his life, he had one more lesson to teach. Al refused to give up on life even to his last breath. Just because he is not with us, don’t let his good values go away. Rest in peace Al and farewell my friend we’ll try to take it from here. Al, thank you for being a friend to all of us, unlike most, you have left this world with a clear conscience.
— John Addis

WE KNEW AL '' FROM WORTHSMITHS'' HE WAS A GREAT GUY'' HE WILL BE MISSED'' OUR CONDOLENCES TO HIS FAMILY'' RIP AL'' WALK WITH ANGELS
— PHYLLIS AND MAX COLLEY

Margaret and family, So sorry for your loss. Prayers and peace to you all.
— Julie McCord

To family of Al. So sorry for your loss. Al was a really great guy and will be sadly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to you. May God bless.
— Larry Fox

So Sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you all
— Karen Haven

Your family is in our thoughts and prayers as you remember and celebrate the life of someone so close to you.
— Dave Miller

So sorry to hear of your loss, I remember when I was little Al and Margaret taking me with them places and making me feel special. My thoughts and prayers are with you and family.
— Vicky Wilber

So sorry to hear this. Deepest Sympathy to your family.
— Pat & Randy Eschrich