Mr. Albert "Al" W. Egli

This is a different type of obituary tale than you would normally see in this space. This is a tale of love. This is a tale of commitment. My love was not a rocket scientist, a poet, a doctor, a philanthropist, or the builder of great buildings. He was not especially outstanding in the minds of most. He was most outstanding in mine. My cousin introduced me to Al four weeks after the birth of my fourth child, in 1977. My first husband had left. We all went fishing that day and that was the day I fell in love. Really, so soon? I know that many thought I was on the rebound after being hurt. Many thought all I wanted was someone to help with my six year old, my three year old, my sixteen month old and my four week old children. True, but my falling in love that day wasn’t anything more than loving Al. You see, Al had a way of making people feel important. He had a way of making women feel pretty no matter their appearance or size. Al had a spectacular sense of humor. I needed all of that, especially at the one of the lowest times of my life. I felt joy with my young children, but I was terrified about how I was going to handle it all on my own. I was blessed to have help from my family over many years. Al tried to run away from me for years. Who could blame him? Finally, after five years, he moved to Orlando to work with his brothers in the mobile home business and to be near his family. I was in Jacksonville, broken hearted, but vowing to move on. After a few weeks he wrote me and later called. I let him know that I was going to the Daytona 500 with some friends and that I was doing ok. He asked if he could meet me there. It was on the infield of the 1982 Daytona 500 when Al asked me to marry him. The rest they say is history. Oh, by the way, Bobbie Allison won that year, all though we didn’t pay much attention! In Orlando we settled in to raise our combined family. We weren’t a “perfect” family, but we managed pretty well thanks to Al’s hard work and his learned patience. He operated his own mobile home company for eleven years. In 1993 he went to work for T.G. Lee Dairy in the transport department. He worked hard and became “Driver of the Quarter” and soon after he became “Driver of the Year.” He cherished that honor. Mainly because it was voted upon by his fellow employees. He was asked to become a supervisor and did so for several years. In his twenty years there, he drove, supervised, drove again and ended his time there as transport dispatcher. When Al got the honor of “Driver of the Year,” he gave me the $1000.00 travel voucher he had won and told me to “Book a cruise.” We took a dozen or more cruises over the years and loved them all. Al and I went to Bike Week for thirty-six consecutive years. It was always a special time and we made many friends over the years. Al escorted the baby girl at homecoming court when she was in high school. Al walked two of our daughters down the aisle at their weddings. He would speak at the altar and there was never a dry eye in the house. Over the years, he was a strict but very loving father. In June 2012 Al started his battle with cancer. He battled with astonishing style and grace. It broke my heart to see him ill. It broke my heart to watch him fade away. He is at peace and free of pain. I feel his presence all around me. He loved me unconditionally for thirty-six years. He helped raise my four children. He loved them and he loved their children. He was my rocket scientist; he was my everything.

Mr. Albert "Al" W. Egli

December 9, 1947 - June 3, 2013