Albert Leonard Kinchen Jr.

Al was born March 21, 1937 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Albert Leonard Kinchen and Pauline Jones Kinchen. His family was part of the war-time oil industry and moved several times before finding a permanent home in Odessa, Texas where he went to school and graduated from Odessa High School. He attended the University of Colorado in Boulder where he received an engineering degree in applied mathematics. He belonged to Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. In 1959 he married his high school sweetheart, Sandra Huestis. His first job was with UNIVAC Corporation where he was a pioneer in software development using early machine language. He continued his computer career with Control Data Corporation and Floating Point Systems in Dallas, Texas. He also worked as a consultant with geologists and petroleum engineers developing computer applications for the oil industry. During these years, he received a Master's of Science degree from the University of Texas at Dallas in the new field of operations research. Following his retirement from the computer industry, he took an entirely new direction and made a business out of his favorite hobby, home brewing. He attended Siebel Institute of Brewing in Chicago and became a Certified Master Brewer. Al was affiliated with Routh Street Grill and Brewery as the master brewer, the job he said he loved best of any he ever had. After 34 years in Dallas, he and Sandy moved to Monument, Colorado to be close to his beloved mountains. The 12 years in Monument were some the most rewarding of his life filled with many friends. He was an avid bridge player and was active in the Monument Hill Kiwanis. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Sandy, a son, Jason Albert Kinchen and a daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Kinchen of Boston, a daughter, Jennifer Kinchen Bright of Boulder, and four grandchildren, Max Kinchen, David Kinchen, Savannah Kinchen and Jane Bright, a brother, Edward Kinchen of Waco, TX. He died March 1, 2013 at the age of 75. Services will be Thursday, March 7 at 2:00 pm; Benet Hill Monastery, 3190 Benet Lane, Colorado Springs, Co 80921. Please send memorials to Benet Hill Monastery, www.benethillmonastery.org or El Hogar Ministries, www.elhogar.org