Al J. Kuder

On December 5th, Al J. Kuder marked his 98th birthday with a celebratory brunch in the company of his daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren and friends. At one point, he turned to his youngest daughter and remarked, "This almost seems like a dream." Six days later, he peacefully passed away in the company of loved ones and in the comfort of his own home. Al never cared much for his full first name (Alfonse John). He contended that the teasing he endured because of it caused more than one schoolyard brawl when he was growing up in the farmlands of the Palouse. Although he was the sixth of eight children, his two younger siblings didn't survive past age five, so Al became the youngest by default.
Al's training in the Veterinary Medicine program at Washington State University was interrupted by the onset of WWII. He spent much of his service time as a lab technician in Australia. After the War, he returned to Eastern Washington, living and working with his oldest brother in Spokane. Soon after, a friend arranged a blind date to introduce Al to Margery (Marge) Sterns, a native of Baker, Oregon. It was a good match, culminating in 5 children and 8 grandchildren during 52 years of marriage.
The newlyweds headed over the mountains to Western Washington, settling in Centralia, where Al worked as a state dairy inspector. He later went to work as an agent for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. At that time, the company had a policy requiring mandatory retirement after 25 years on the job. When Al reached that threshold, he and Marge joined the ranks of small business owners by purchasing a laundromat on the north end of town.
Circa 1948, Al and Marge bought the home on Oak Street, where they raised five daughters. On any given Saturday evening you could find Al at home hand-polishing five pairs of Mary Janes. And on any given Sunday morning, you could watch five girls with shiny shoes accompanied by their parents as they walked the few blocks to St. Mary's Catholic Church. Al and Marge continued to be active members at St. Mary's long after their daughters moved away. In 1989, Al was honored for twenty years of service as a Eucharistic Minister, taking Holy Communion to residents at area rest homes. It was a labor of love which he continued for another dozen years, by which time he was significantly older than most of the seniors he was serving.
Al also took pride in his skills as a wine maker. He spent many hours hand-picking grapes and berries, which he lovingly transformed into wine in the recesses of his basement. He loved sharing the final product with friends. If you ever did a favor of any kind for Al, you likely received a bottle of his wine as an added show of appreciation.
Al and Marge were both strong proponents of higher education and grateful for the scholarship assistance their daughters received through Centralia College. In their later years they established the Kuder Scholarship Endowment at the college as a way to help other families achieve their own educational goals.
Al is survived by his daughters Susan (Patrick) Dunn, of Seattle; Joan (Richard) Bell, of Boulder, Colorado; Mary (Ed) Pong, of Tumwater; Lori (Michael) Bento, of Seattle; and Alice Kuder, of Seattle, as well as grandchildren Sara Van Meter (Eric) Kirschenman, Katherine Dunn, Alexis Bell, Joshua, Micah and Eli Pong, and Avery and Quincy Bento.
A Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, December 30 at 11:00 am at St. Mary's Church, 225 North Washington Avenue, Centralia.

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