Albert Reading

READING, Albert
Kalamazoo Albert Eugene Reading, 69, passed away at home with his family on April 7, 2013. Son of Lowell and Laura Stoddard Reading, Al was raised on a farm in Lawrence, Michigan. After graduating from high school, Al enlisted in the Navy, where he served as Machinist Mate aboard the USS Manatee. On April 1, 1972, Al and Sue Rigozzi were married at Sacred Heart Church in Bangor, Michigan. Al, a skilled air-conditioning and refrigeration technician, worked for Tony's Refrigeration, Meijer, and Western Michigan University until retiring in 2004. Al enjoyed puttering around in his barn and 10-acre woods. He found that felling dead and storm-damaged trees, observing deer, turkeys, and wood ducks, or just walking in the woods brought contentment. Al also loved relaxing at Duck Lake with his wonderful family of friends. Together they solved the world's problems on a relaxing pontoon ride or by the campfire. An avid water skier, Al spent many hours teaching his nieces and nephews how to ski too. Al was always the "go-to" guy for family and friends. Regardless of the project, he freely gave his knowledge and time whenever anyone needed a hand. Upon retiring, Al and Sue travelled extensively enjoying the sights in Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Panama, as well as visiting many states in the continental US. Al was preceded in death by his father and sister-in-law and brother-in-law Pat and Leonard Elliot. He is survived by his wife, Sue; his mother, Laura; and his mother-in-law, Julia Rigozzi. His two sisters, Louise and Marvin Darling and Ruth and Dave Hall, his brother Roger and his aunt Fran Dykstra, also survive. Additionally, his sister-in-law Mary and Bob Phillips, brother-in-law David III and Shirley Rigozzi, many special nieces and nephews and his Duck Lake family of friends survive. A Memorial Gathering will be held on Saturday, April 13 at the Langeland Funeral Home, Westside Chapel, 3926 S. 9th Street, Kalamazoo, beginning with a Memorial Service at 1:00 p.m. followed by a luncheon until 4:00 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to West Michigan Cancer Center, 200 North Park Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49007; the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, 1317 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 or www.curemeso.org ; or Hospice Care of SW Michigan, 222 N. Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 100, Kalamazoo, MI 49007.