Aloysius "Al" Henry Courtad Jr.

Aloysius (Al as he was known to most) Henry Courtad, Jr. passed away after 98 years of serving his family, his community, his church, his country, and his Lord. Born on his father’s birthday on September 21, 1926 in Cleveland, Ohio, he was the son of Nellie (Courtade) and Aloysius (Ollie) H. Courtad Sr. In 1933, the family moved to East Bay Township, Traverse City. He attended East Bay School, the Howard School in Long Lake Township, and then St. Francis Catholic School until he enlisted in the military in 1944. He served two years in the 85th Navy Construction Battalion (Sea Bees). Stationed in the Asiatic-Pacific basin, he spent most of this time near Pearl Harbor, Hawaii working in the base’s post office and munitions depot on the night shift and then on Wake Island. After returning home, he completed adult evening classes at Traverse City Senior High School to earn his diploma. Afterward, he took correspondence classes in accounting. Al worked for a time at Lee 'N Cady in the 1940s where he met the woman who would later become his wife. He worked for Parts Manufacturing Company and as a supervisor for Koenig Construction and Wares and Son Plumbing and Heating. On June 4, 1960, Al married Murna Mary Brown. Together they raised four children. They spent their 25th wedding anniversary in a dorm room at the University of Maryland while chaperoning one of their children’s extracurricular activities. Al spent his 64th wedding anniversary at Murna’s bedside holding her hand, just days before she passed. In the late 1950s, Al began working at Cone Drive – Textron, first in the shipping department and then as a machinist. After being laid off for a bit, he returned and ended up working there for 30 more years until he retired in 1992. During this time, he also served as Trustee and Financial Secretary of UAW Local 21 for seventeen years and as Manager of the Cone Drive Credit Union for six years. He returned in 2000 to Cone Drive performing guard duty for another two years. He enjoyed the fellowship of his coworkers and was an active part of the UAW retirees’ group. In his later years, Al enjoyed delivering cars for Traverse Motors, Bill Marsh, and Hertz along with his older brother Ken. He also served as election inspector at the East Bay Township Hall and later at the Fire Station on West Front Street and was a member of Cherryland VFW Post 2780. Throughout his life, he was an active volunteer as a member of Immaculate Conception Church in Traverse City. From doing dishes for numerous funeral lunches, pancake breakfasts, fish fries, and potlucks to setting up Christmas trees or painting walls to counting collections, helping with the food pantry, or as a parking lot attendant, Al worked quietly behind the scenes. He was never one who wanted attention for his contributions. He and Murna humbly accepted Volunteer Service Awards from Bishop Patrick Cooney in 2006 honoring their service. He is survived by his children Dianne (Jim) Thompson of Traverse City, Gregory Courtad of Pauma Valley, CA, Lorraine Courtad of Traverse City, and Margaret (Ben) Weinzapfel of Traverse City, grandchildren Tricia (Kelly) Martin, Jacob Courtad, and Vanessa Weinzapfel, great-grandchildren, Carley Allen Potes, Ashley, Skylar, and Zoe Martin; sisters Patricia Franke, Joan Romis, and Delores Kress in addition to other extended family members. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Murna, siblings Rita Courtad, Kenneth (Amy) Courtad, Richard (Maxine) Courtad, Eugene (Inez) Courtad, Marie Keaton, Eileen (Richard) Newman, Donald (Judith) Courtad, Bernard Courtad, and Geraldine (William) Smith, and brothers-in-law James Franke, Luke Romis, and Dan Kress. A visitation will take place the night prior to the service, at Reynolds Jonkhoff Funeral Home from 5:00-7:00pm, with a Rosary starting at 7:00pm. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Friday, February 14th at Immaculate Conception Church of Traverse City, at 11:00 am, with visitation one hour prior. with Fr. Hayden serving as celebrant. A luncheon will follow at the Churches Centennial Hall. A burial with full Military Honors will take place at 2:00pm at Oakwood Catholic Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be directed to the Immaculate Conception Church Food Pantry, Father Fred Food Pantry, or Project Feed the Kids.

Aloysius "Al" Henry Courtad Jr.

September 21, 1926 - February 8, 2025