ALAN BERT ALDRICH born July 31, 1942 in Oak Park Illinois, passed away peacefully as the snow fell and the sun rose on January 20, 2024, aged well 81 years. Known as “Al” to his countless good friends, Alan was a larger than life character whose love, generosity, good works, humor and contributions to his community will live far beyond him.
Born to Alice (Coates) and Bert Aldrich, Alan was raised in suburban Chicago but was proud to have experienced his parents’ Iowan roots with several summers spent laboring on the farms of family friends. The value of hard work was further infused by a job delivering newspapers around the neighborhood as a boy. Growing up in a very musical family Alan became an accomplished musician, attending Interlochen Center for the Arts where his clarinet mastery ultimately earned him first chair in his school orchestra.
He graduated from Depauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, where he studied economics and was a leader in the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He was also a standout member of the Depauw swim team, breaking several school records in the breaststroke and freestyle. Patriotic all his life, Alan joined ROTC in college in preparation for joining the United States Air Force.
Alan’s Air Force service (1963-1968) was a high mark in his life, with his selection into the USAFSS (Security Service) seeing him assigned to West Berlin, Germany at the height of the Cold War. As an Intelligence Communications Officer with Top Secret Crypto Clearance, he oversaw 70 enlisted members of Charlie Flight of the 6912th Security Squadron, charged with intercepting, interpreting, and disseminating enemy voice and electronic signals. He also became his squadron Athletics Officer, rallying his troops to glory in various team sports. Captain Aldrich was a highly effective and very beloved officer to the men of Charlie Flight, many of whom became lifelong friends.
Professionally, Alan enjoyed a very successful career as a Wall Street investment executive. Key roles included National Sales Manager with Paine Webber, Marketing Director at Bateman Eichler, and Division Manager with Salomon Brothers. A proud win was his role raising substantial venture funds for the development of “wonder drug” TPA for Genentech, a now widely used life-saving stroke medication.
A colorful year in Alan’s life was as the touring road manager for famed ensemble folk band The New Christy Minstrels. Touring internationally with the band took him to Italy, Asia, Australia and even the White House, where he met and the band performed for President Richard M. Nixon. This led him to meet and marry aspiring singer Lora Jeffries, with whom he settled in Southern California and became father to Amy and Alexander.
Alan was an involved family man and father, active with his children’s sporting pursuits, musical education, and Girl and Boy Scout troops. Road trips around the country, journeys to family roots in the midwest, and several visits to Europe gave his kids an enduring taste for travel and exploration. He was also a genealogy buff, and helped convene and host numerous fun family reunions to keep distant relatives connected.
Alan greatly enjoyed regular fishing and canoeing adventures with his father, friends, and son deep in the rugged Boundary Waters Canoe Area of Minnesota and Canada. He always volunteered to cook, turning the day’s catch of Northern Pike into delicious dinner, often followed by a dutch oven fruit cobbler.
Alan was a man of strongly-held principles and deep values. He was solemnly patriotic and subscribed passionately to the best ideas that America represented. He volunteered his time, energy, and money to numerous civic and veterans organizations, particularly local Leelanau VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Post 7731, where he was Chaplain and worked endlessly to recruit new members. He believed strongly in the spiritual value of hard work, and he drew great pride and purpose in staying productive throughout his life. However, Alan also loved a good time and was a consummate jokester and rabble-rouser, a character who loved to laugh and enjoyed “pushing the envelope”. His uncommon charisma lit up every room he entered. If you were his good friend, he probably had a nickname for you, whether you liked it or not.
Later in life Alan met and married fellow investment industry executive Jeanne Ann Bakale, and returned to his midwest roots to retire on Lake MIchigan in Sutton’s Bay, MI. There he loved paddling his kayak on Grand Traverse Bay, golfing with friends, serving the community, and playing guitar as part of local band North Bay Celtic.
A quotation Alan oft-cited to his children was “He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much.” By this and many other measures, Alan Aldrich led a very successful life. He will be dearly missed by a great many.
Alan is survived by his wife of 25 years Jeanne Ann (Bakale) Aldrich (Sutton’s Bay, MI); daughter Amy Coates Aldrich (Boise, ID), and son Alex Jeffries Aldrich (Portland, OR); sister Sandra Drew (Minneapolis, MN), and sister Sally Kampfe (Dublin, OH).
A service with military honors will be held on Saturday, February 3nd at 11am at Reynolds-Jonkhoff funeral home in Traverse City with visitation beginning at 10am. To watch the service online, visit www.rjfh.tv.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Leelanau VFW Post 7731 or to the Boy Scouts of America.
Please visit www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com to share your memories with the family.
