ALVIN VISTE

Alvin (Al) John Viste Al Viste passed away peacefully at his home in Puyallup, WA, on the evening of July 22, 2013. Viewing will be on Wednesday, July 31, at 2:00 to 5:00 PM at Curnow Funeral Home, 1504 Main St., Sumner, WA, 98390. Graveside military services will be on Monday, August 5 at 2:00 PM at Tahoma National Cemetery, 18600 S.E. 240th St., Kent, WA, 98042. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to Good Samaritan Hospice, contact: Multicare Hospice, PO Box 5200, M.S. 3901-1-HH, Tacoma, WA, 98415. Al was in his 89th year, having been born on November 24, 1924, in Cloquet, Minnesota to John and Alice Viste, his loving parents. The family moved later to Ely, Minnesota, near the Canadian border where his father was manager of a dam at the beautiful Boundary Waters of that area. Al frequently spoke of his happy childhood on those waters where he often fished for Wall-Eyed Pike and, in his teen years, developed a successful fishing bait business, marketing to the tourist fishermen that frequented the waters when the lakes were not frozen solid. Always the entrepreneur, he also led canoe fishing charters for these same fishermen and took great pride in the blueberry pies that he made on these expeditions, baked in a reflector oven on the bottom of one of the overturned canoes. World War ll began just as Al graduated from high school so he joined the U.S. Army and was soon deployed overseas where he volunteered for Special Forces, quickly became a member of I Company 3rd/506 101st Division, received paratrooper training and saw combat in several European countries. Al is one of the survivors of the Battle of the Bulge, in Bastogne, Belgium, a major turning point in bringing victory to Europe during WW II., a major step in ending the war. Al received the Purple Heart as well as the Bronze Star for his part in that combat. This is an area of his life of which Al was especially proud. He is one of our national treasures and a true American hero. His strong ties to his 101st comrades of all wars was a most significant part of his life. In 1946 Al married his high school sweetheart, Willamary (Vickey) Edwards. The newlyweds moved to New Mexico. Al and Vickey had 2 children, George and Terro and the family lived in several Western states before settling permanently in Washington state. Al and Vickey both worked for the Boeing Company for many years; Al, as an engineer and later as a manager in the finance department. They both retired from Boeing around the same time and spent many wonderful years traveling the world together. Al is preceded in death by Vickey, his wife of 63 years as well as by his son, George. Al is survived by his loving daughter, Terro Wolf of Lake Tapps, WA, his loving daughter-in-law, Mali Viste of Vancouver, WA; 5 grandchildren, Justin Wolf and Carolyn Baloca, both of Orting, Willamary, Elsie and Rosemary Viste of Vancouver, WA; 4 great grandchildren, Isaac Wolf, Alyssa, Mikayla and Ayden Baloca all of Orting. Surviving family members in Ely, Minnesota include his younger sister, Beverly Wiermaa, nieces, Kaye Rent and Diane Bonner, nephew, Craig Wiermaa and their spouses. Al was much loved by all who knew him and will be sadly missed.