Allan Kost

Under his sometimes gruff exterior, Al was a caring man with a kind and giving spirit, who loved unconditionally. He was dedicated to his family and country, and believed strongly in the value of a good education. He will be truly missed by many.

Allan was the second of four boys born to Elmer and Bertha (Beloubek) Kost, both second-generation immigrants from Czechoslovakia. Allan arrived June 25, 1941 in the farming community of Maple Heights, outside Cleveland, Ohio. Big brother Fred was almost three years old at the time, and younger brothers Dennis and Carl were born nearly two and four years later, respectively. In December 1945, the family moved to the Orlando, Florida area where Allan attended public schools through high school, graduating from William R. Boone High School in Orlando in 1959. He attended the University of Florida, obtaining an Associate’s degree in 1961 and graduating in 1964 with a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.

Upon graduation from the University of Florida, Allan was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. He was assigned to Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he served in the Special Weapons Center. There, Al earned the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon. He was also awarded the National Defense Service Medal for his active duty service during the Cold War. On November 29, 1967, Al achieved the rank of Captain. Al was proud to have been a part of testing the survivability of ballistic missile silos against a nuclear weapon attack.

At the Officers’ Club in Albuquerque, 2nd Lt. Allan Kost met Elizabeth Ella Brown, a charming school teacher from Port Arthur, Texas, whom he courted and then married on July 15, 1967. Beth and Al moved to Miami, Florida in 1968 when Allan accepted a civilian position as an electrical engineer in the maintenance program at Eastern Airlines. While working for Eastern Airlines, Al continued his education at the University of Miami, earning first a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1976, specializing in accounting, and then a Master of Business Administration in 1979. Both of Al’s sons were born in Miami, Michael Allan in 1978 and Steven Pierce in 1980.

Shortly after Steven’s birth in 1980, the family moved to Rockford, Illinois where Al had accepted a position as an aerospace engineer with Sundstrand in the Service Engineering department. He stayed with Sundstrand, which became Hamilton-Sundstrand and then a division of UTC, through the remainder of his career, until retiring in 2009. Al was passionate about aerospace engineering and was dedicated to keeping passenger and military jets safely airborne. Some aircraft that he supported include the Lockheed L1011, McDonnell Douglas DC-10, Boeing 747 series, Boeing 757 series, Boeing 767 series, Boeing 777 series, the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker, and the Grumman F-14 Tomcat.

Al was a loving husband and active father. Beth and Al loved each other deeply and lived their life to the fullest. They particularly enjoyed traveling together, even happening to be in Berlin when the Berlin Wall fell, and hosting parties. They worked as a team to raise their boys, with Al taking the lead in activities such as scouting, going to gun shows, and showing that auto and home maintenance can and should be done by anyone. When Beth passed away in 1996, Al chose to remain in the house that he and Beth had made home for the nearly 16 years of their life in Rockford, and he never moved away.

Al met Marie Cox in 1999; they became instant friends. That friendship grew as Al and Marie came to realize how they completed each other. Al loved Marie’s daughter Brianna as his own. Marie, her son Nick, and Brianna became part of Al’s family. Al’s family grew again when Mike married Jen Brady, and when they gave him first one granddaughter, Lillian Elizabeth, and for a while a foster granddaughter, Teralynn. Al loved all of his family unconditionally and was always there for them, any time of day or night.

Al loved being outside and spent much of his time in the yard and walking around the neighborhood, stopping frequently to visit with his neighbors. However, Al did not like the squirrels or chipmunks that dug holes in his yard. He did his best to trap and relocate them, and encouraged Marie’s dogs to help. He greatly enjoyed smoking a cigar while working in the yard, as his neighbors can attest. He cared deeply for his friends and neighbors, and spent much of his time after retirement helping neighbors with daily chores and projects. Like his cats, Al enjoyed a good nap when he came in, preferably in front of a good fire, and the cats and dogs often joined him.

We love you Al, Grandpa, Okie, Dad!

Everyone who makes himself great will be humbled, and everyone who humbles himself will be made great. Lk 18:14b (NIV)