Clear, 65° F
Al Althoff was born Dec. 23, 1935 in Forsyth, Montana, to Ed and Julia (Polich) Althoff. His family farmed in Carterville, Montana, and Badger Basin, Wyoming, before moving to Powell in 1946. He graduated from Powell High School in 1953 and attended Northwest and Montana State Colleges, graduating in 1957. It was at MSC that he met Dolores (Lori) Merritt. He did a tour in the U.S. Army in Korea and stateside. After, he and Lori married July 16, 1960. They taught school in Alaska in the early 60’s then he earned his master’s degree from University of Montana in 1965. Their children Susan and Scott were born during this time.
He was an administrator and taught school in several small Montana towns before buying the War Surplus Store in Powell in 1974. He joined the fire department and was fire chief for many years. After selling the business in 1995 he semi-retired doing road construction work and lived up the North Fork in Wyoming and then on the Olympic peninsula of Washington. They eventually returned to Powell as fully retired.
Al loved outdoor work and leisure pursuits, sports, being part of the children’s and grandchildren’s lives and had a deep sense of community duty, serving in many civil capacities. Al is survived by his daughter Susan Kalber (Richard) of Huntsville, Alabama, son Scott Althoff (Kara Fulton) of Powell, Wyoming, five grandchildren: Kylie Schutzman (AJ), Dallas Kalber (Sarah), Kristin Russell (Brandon), Casey Aldrup (Keaton) and Brennan Althoff as well as seven great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by wife Lori Althoff, parents Ed and Julia Althoff and brother Arthur (Julia) Althoff.
Services will be held on Friday Aug. 21 at Thompson Funeral Home starting at 11 a.m.
