Sydney John "Syd" Albright

Sydney (Syd) John Albright, 93

Sydney (Syd) John Albright passed away peacefully at his home in Post Falls, Idaho, on Dec. 1, 2025, following a courageous battle with cancer.

He was born in Yokohama, Japan, on Aug. 21, 1932, to Sydney Joseph Albright and Madelein Headley. Syd had a younger brother, Ford, who pre-deceased him. He married the love of his life, Charlene Gail Alrbight. She was a beauty with big blue eyes, a vibrant smile, and a very kind and hospitable personality. They were married for 60 years before her passing in July 2022. Syd called her "Chicky," a lifelong nickname that began when she was born. The Doctor had placed her on her mother's tummy and said, "Here is your little Chicky." Syd and Chicky were blessed with a son, Christopher Michael Albright, who resides in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Sydney Sr. worked as a War Correspondent for NBC. The company relocated his family from Japan to Java, where Syd Jr. would enroll in public school. In those days, Java was still a Dutch colony, so the spoken language was Dutch. Five years in public school gave Syd a strong command of Dutch.

Pearl Harbor had just been attacked, and it was certain that Java would be attacked soon as well. Syd's dad immediately got the family aboard a cruise liner bound for New York. He continued his assignment, reporting there for a bit before needing to escape as well. A boat was departing for Australia, but he had no other choice. A few days later, over the radio came some bad news announcing the sinking of each other's boats. You can imagine how horrible this apparent Tokyo Rose "prank" must have been for the Albright family. As they steamed along, they must have felt their turn was imminent, as they repeatedly saw clusters of floating debris from earlier boats that had gone down, with no apparent survivors. Miraculously, the USS PRESIDENT MADISON ultimately did steam past the Statue of Liberty into New York Harbor unscathed three months later. They reunited a couple of years later, after the war, when it was safe to travel across the Pacific again. The Albrights would continue living in Australia.

Syd attended Cranbrook School (an independent Anglican boarding school), where he completed his Junior and High School years, graduating in the 12th grade with his diploma. In the fall, he began his studies at UCLA. He was a member of two fraternities: Sigma Alpha Epsilon Foundation Gold Society and, later, Sigma Delta Phi Professional Journalistic Fraternity. He studied journalism and oriental studies and earned his teaching credentials, graduating with a bachelor's degree. While at UCLA, he started a Cricket Club that went undefeated for several seasons. Syd was very athletic and quick, becoming valuable to both their Rugby and Cricket teams. After his university studies, he joined the US Air Force and served a four-year flying tour stationed out of Japan. He then returned to UCLA to acquire his master's degree in journalism. He taught journalism at a local college where he enjoyed exercising his passion for writing and teaching others. From there, he was hired by Western Airlines as a Marketing Executive. He excelled as a likeable, energetic, imaginative, well-spoken promoter who could just be turned loose. Following his time at Western, Flying Tiger Airlines benefited from his promotional marketing energy and communication skills. There was no event or project too large. Sometimes the company would put on an extravagant event, and Syd would surpass expectations. His marketing presentations and publicity gigs were extraordinarily creative and solution-oriented, and he pulled them off impressively.

In 2006, some friends of Syd and Chickie's had encouraged them to move from California to North Idaho. They took the "leap of faith" as many have recently done and landed in Post Falls, Idaho. Syd began writing for the Coeur d' Alene Press. Everybody loved his History Corner Sunday column. He also started the original History Club that met on Wednesdays at JB's Restaurant in Coeur d'Alene. The History Club was a place where family and friends could gather to share historical stories, little politics, events, and personal stories. He always said everyone had a story to tell, and he was patient and gracious in getting you to tell it, whether you thought it was significant or not. According to Syd, there was only one requirement to be a part of History Club: to "treat one another with love and respect." His life reflected this to the very end. Syd was a lover of life, people, animals, and adventure. He pursued interesting challenges, such as climbing the Matterhorn and earning the highest credentials available as a scuba diver, which he also taught. He had a reputation for being meticulous and thorough regarding technique and safety, which he instilled in his students. The Jacques Cousteau family took note of this and hired him for his expertise and to oversee the safety of their dive projects. With his expertise, he helped various Hollywood stars with their roles in diving movie scenes.

His hobbies included learning new languages like Chinese, Japanese, French, Spanish, and Serbian. He memorized Shakespeare, poems, and bible scriptures. He enjoyed researching and studying historical books and other literature, collecting, watching VHS historical documentaries, and being an avid reader of the Bible, reading it from cover to cover many times. Syd lived a life of accomplishments and adventures. Truly a unique and profound individual with a great soul. As Maya Angelou famously wrote, "A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again". If there is one takeaway from knowing Syd, it is that he felt it was extremely important to keep learning; to reinvent yourself if needed; never stop growing; to live with purpose, no matter your age or obstacles; and to greet each day with enthusiasm, happiness, and gratitude. Finally, value others for the treasure within them. Our stories are important, so tell yours. It is all a part of history, and you never know who you might be inspiring, encouraging, or motivating.

Syd, if you are watching, please know "your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure. You're loved beyond words and missed beyond measure" (unknown). Thank you!

There will be a Celebration of Life ceremony for Sydney John Albright at The Altar Church, Feb. 6, 2026, at 11 a.m., 901 East Best Ave., Coeur d'Alene, ID. Pastor Tim Remington will be officiating. There will be special speakers and an open mic for those who wish to share about Syd. Lunch will be served in the basement after the celebration.