Col. Albert N. Weidhas Jr.

1930 - 2026

Born in Westfield, Massachusetts, to Albert and Helen (Ostrowski) Weidhas, he was the oldest of four children, with sisters Mary, Gail, and Betty. Al played high school football and basketball but earned his first nickname, "Snookie," playing billiards. He enlisted in the U.S. Army right out of high school - a decision that would define the rest of his life.

After graduating from Officer Candidate School, he served with the 224th Regiment during the Korean War, earning a Combat Infantryman Badge and a Purple Heart. After the war, he met and married Kay (née Catherine Marie Payne), beginning a marriage that lasted 67 years and endured more than 20 relocations.

His Army career spanned 27 years and included assignments across the U.S., Korea, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam, where he was awarded two Bronze Stars. Over the course of his service, he attended the Defense Language Institute becoming fluent in Japanese, earned his BA from the University of Maryland, and earned numerous medals including being awarded the Legion of Merit four times. He retired in 1976 at the rank of Colonel.

Transitioning to the private sector, Al and Kay spent 15 years in international business in Japan. His leadership culminated in his tenure as President of SGS Japan. Upon his second retirement, he and Kay moved to Maine, where she had grown up.

Al was predeceased by his beloved Kay, who passed away in 2021. He is survived by his children, Karen (Kevin) Brandon, Charles (Polly) Weidhas, and Paul (Cindy) Weidhas; and his sisters, Mary Underwood and Betty Podolski. He was a father of three, a grandfather of seven, and a great-grandfather of fourteen.

To his childhood acquaintances, he was Snookie; in the Army, he was Colonel; in Japan, he was Shacho. But to his wife, Kay, he was Al; to his children, he was Dad; and to his grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and many others in his later years, he was affectionally known as Garby. And yes, the "r" is silent.

Call him as you wish; he answered to them all with honor, and with a smile.

Family and friends are invited to attend a time of visitation on May 21, 2026, from 12:00 to 2:00 at Jones, Rich & Barnes Funeral Home, 199 Woodford Street, Portland.

Please visit www.jonesrichandbarnes.com to view Al's tribute page and to sign his online guestbook.

In lieu of flowers please make donations to Northern Light Home Care and Hospice at PO Box 931 Bangor, Maine 04402. https://northernlighthealth.org/foundation