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Alfred Bachmeier Obituary
Before he retired in 2011, he was a Senior Collections Manager at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, where, for many years, he contributed many innovative ways of conserving, storing, and cataloguing the Museum's innumerable artifacts. He was also instrumental in contributing to practical design aspects of areas and displays of the Museum's Companion Facility, the Stephen F. Udvar Hazy Center in Fairfax, VA.
He is survived by his wife, Joanna Dugi Bachmeier.
A Visitation will be held on Saturday, January 17, 2025 from noon to 4 p.m. at Lee Funeral Home, Calvert 8200 Jennifer Ln., Owings, MD 20736.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Alfred Bachmeier
5 Entries
Bob McLean
January 3, 2026
Al and I often worked together on in artifact handling and planning projects throughout my time there and in fact we both retired on the same day in 2011.
He had a gruff exterior and one might have imagined that they were interacting with character from one of the Viking Sagas at first, but it didn't take long to peel back the layers and see that he cared deeply about the collection and that he had a soft spot for anyone that was trying to do the right thing.
Al was the corporate memory of the Collections Division at NASM bridging great transitions of staff and policy at the museum and could always be counted on to locate obscure collection items.
He was very involved in the physical planning of the Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center ushering in the museum's treatment, storage, collection, and no-frills display at that facility into the 21 Century.
I had an e:mail from a curator recently that told of how Al was protective of our artifacts, and took the time to instruct him how to properly accession them.
Toward the end of his career he served as the director's special assistant.
Mr. Bachmeier had collecting in his blood and couldn't resist a good deal on an antique or classic car, tractor or railroad item to add to his personal collection. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that at one time he may have had over fifty vehicles of different types.
He was also my landlord for about ten years, I can remember his then-newest acquisition of a full-sized railroad caboose being delivered to the house that I was living in in Southern Maryland.
Linda King
January 2, 2026
Al Bachmeier was an intelligent and kind soul. We met and worked together on the Udvar-Hazy Center, and I am proud to say that he was not only my colleague, but someone I truly considered a friend.
There was a time when I needed to work late hours to make up for time I spent during the day attending school. When Al found out, he quietly chose to stay and wait until I finished, making sure I got to my car safely. He did this for several weeks without ever making a fuss.
That´s when I truly saw his heart and his humanity.
Rest well, my friend. Your memory will live on forever in my heart.
William 'Jake' Jacobs
December 29, 2025
Al was a mentor and a friend. We made an unlikely pair working together for nearly 10 years on all phases of the Udvar-Hazy Center. I came to admire his tenacity and sense of humor. With 40 years caring for the NASM collection, Al was not about to accept any short cuts with the new U-HC facility. Al was respected by all of his professional peers. Finally, my sincere condolences to Jo, his devoted wife. Regards, Jake
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Garry L Cline
December 28, 2025
At the Paul Garber Facility, Restoration, Preservation and Storage, we were a brotherhood and Al was a prominent figure we were pleased to work with. He took great care of the collection and his special crew.
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