From  Vicki Isett: Remembering Al

I liked Al from the moment I met him. More than that, I trusted him. He was wicked smart, but never made others feel they were not. His kindness brought out the best in all of us. His generosity – doing things he didn’t have to do - made the people around him feel important and cherished. He was a gentle person who lived with integrity. He is deeply missed.

The Monahan Thorpe story: 

Tom, Al and I met while working at Boeing Computer Services as software developers in the early 1980’s. I moved to work at the UofW when Tom and Al worked on an intense project at BCS together. That is when Al, Beth, Tom and I started playing together (we went to some great concerts and clubs, and shared many a meal). Tom and Al went on to work at Interactive Home Systems (now Corbis) and Microsoft. They were best buddies. After our kids came into the picture, we continued to play together. We loved going out to Bainbridge to spend weekends – hanging out and cooking great meals while the kids had fun together. We loved playing with them at their beach house on Long Beach, and we vacationed together on the Mexican Riviera Maya at Playa Paraiso where we rented a home and had big fun in the sun. Holly, though a few years older than Tia, was a wonderful buddy for Tia over the years and we all have great memories of playing together. Tom and Al were best of friends and Beth became a best friend-sister to me. After Al and Beth moved to CA we visited them there. When we three t’s moved off our Seattle Houseboat of 35+ years to care for my family in my home town of White Salmon in the Columbia Gorge, Al, Beth, and Hannah drove up to spend a week with us. BIG FUN! When Tom was unexpectantly hospitalized in December of 2017, Al and Beth flew up to be with us in the hospital and were there when we had to say goodbye to our dear Tommy. Beth helped me settle into “home alone” and they both were such a comfort for Tia and me. Al and Beth are Tia’s “California Parents” and she has made many trips to visit them where she stays at their “Casita Tia”. We loved when they visited us this summer along with Pat and Marsha.

We are completely heartbroken about this tragedy. When we think of Al we see the twinkle in his eye, his big smile, and hear his goofy puns. We are comforted knowing that Tommy has greeted him with a big bear hug.

Teresa (of the three t’s Monahan)