Although receiving a scholarship to attend college out of high school, he was a rebellious youth and decided to try his hands at other things such as logging, truck driving, ranching and even being a door to door salesman. All this changed when he met the love of his life, Beulah June Frank in Garrison one day.
Al was working in a grocery store and she thought he was the most handsome young man she had ever seen!! She was 17 years old and he was 18. At 19, they were married on October 21st,1950 and began their life together as husband and wife which lasted nearly 69 years.
While working full time as a typesetter for the Grand Forks Herald newspaper at night to provide for his family, Al was simultaneously going to college at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks during the day. Al graduated with two bachelor of science degrees, both in mathematics and radiation physics. He took a job with Boeing Computer Services in Seattle, Washington following his graduation and since that time lived in the greater Seattle area. One of Al's proudest projects at BCS was working on the Lunar Orbiter, unmanned spacecraft which paved way for the first lunar landing in 1969. Al was known for his intelligence, generosity, independence and strength. He retired from BCS in 1980, after 20 years because, in his own words, "There is no more room for another 5 year pin".
Al was also very proud of his 25 years of volunteer driving for Senior Services, shuttling seniors to and from their medical appointments. He loved listening to their life stories during these trips. Upon retiring from this volunteer service, he was awarded a special commendation by the mayor of Seattle, declaring that day, "Al Hillstrom Recognition Day" for the entire city.
Al always valued and practiced hard work and strong work ethic. Whether that involved remodeling houses, running commercial businesses and residential properties, or dabbling in leisure activities such as woodworking, wine making, fishing in Alaska, hunting in Washington and Canada and even raising Chinchillas!! He fit the classic definition of a person that "didn't idle well", always looking for something new and interesting to engage in. He was a life long learner for sure. He also enjoyed travelling with his wife Beulah, on one of his favorite "toys", his Kawasaki Z1 900 CC motorcycle, while including some of his grandchildren on other excursions. His favorite trip was with his wife to the Biblelands. He was a strong Christian throughout his life being a life long Lutheran, most recently a member of St Paul's of Shoreline Lutheran in Seattle, Washington. He will be sorely missed by his entire family, especially his wife of nearly 69 years.
Al was commonly referred to as "The Rock" and patriarch to his large family and is survived by his wife Beulah, three children; Son Keith (Kathy), Son Roger (Diana), and daughter Janice Neumiller, thirteen grandchildren, and 26 great grandchildren. The family wishes to thank all of the staff and caregivers at the Stafford Suites Assisted Living Facility in Kent for their wonderful care during some difficult times as well as Franciscan Hospice for their outstanding attention to the needs of Al during these last few weeks.
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