Steve Smith
Moderator Emeritus
Jim, I think it would be completely appropriate. I am going to try to make the funeral as well, and I will be packing. I'm SURE that Alan would want us to.
Labgrade - RMGO announces his passing!
- Thread starter Cameron Lamont
- Start date
- Status
gunfan
Member
His family has my deepest sympathy.
Zak Smith
Member
jim,
I agree with Steve. I think it would be appropriate.
-z
I agree with Steve. I think it would be appropriate.
-z
Last edited:
Zak Smith
Member
Just a head's up
Besides the First Bank information posted, you can also donate to the fund here: http://albertus.maxtor.com/site.cfm/p/3/
Besides the First Bank information posted, you can also donate to the fund here: http://albertus.maxtor.com/site.cfm/p/3/
fivetoes
Member
jimpeel,
I talked with Crystal about an hour ago and she asked me if I would make sure that when I gave my tribute, that I not get too political as many of the folks attending did not know of Alan's involvement in the gun rights movement. I revised my tribute and tried to stick with Alan the man that everyone knew.
BTW, I printed out the first 7 pages of this thread and gave it to her yesterday. In a separate folder I gave her labgrade's postings from the last week. She was deeply moved by his last posting about Shane.
My advise is to not do anything that would upset Crystal in any way. That is what Al would want. His memorial service is not the place for 2nd Amendment revival.
Sincerely,
Tom Buchanan
I talked with Crystal about an hour ago and she asked me if I would make sure that when I gave my tribute, that I not get too political as many of the folks attending did not know of Alan's involvement in the gun rights movement. I revised my tribute and tried to stick with Alan the man that everyone knew.
BTW, I printed out the first 7 pages of this thread and gave it to her yesterday. In a separate folder I gave her labgrade's postings from the last week. She was deeply moved by his last posting about Shane.
My advise is to not do anything that would upset Crystal in any way. That is what Al would want. His memorial service is not the place for 2nd Amendment revival.
Sincerely,
Tom Buchanan
fivetoes
Member
Zak
There very well be a heck'of-alot-of guns there, but open carry may not be in the best interest. Crystal would just like a quiet farewell.
jimpeel
Member
Based on the responses, my pistol will be staying home.
Thanks, Guys.
Thanks, Guys.
Leatherneck
Member
Thinking of labgrade right now, and all of you there. Godspeed, and farewell, Labgrade.
Tom Carter
Tom Carter
grampster
Member
The trouble with growing and old and meeting new friends even if it is in the "ether" is that one always risks another little piece of your heart being chipped away. I'm feeling another hollow spot in my chest.
Godspeed Labgrade. RIP.
grampster
Godspeed Labgrade. RIP.
grampsterjimpeel
Member
I've just returned from the memorial. It was very nice. Tears all around. Kinda hard not to cry when the pastor's voice is cracking.
The memorial started with a fife and drum corp carrying the colors. They were in full regalia, eighteenth century garb, with muskets.
There were the usual testimonials. Alan was there. His remains are in a small stone coffin about 10" x 15" x 12". It is amazing that such a powerful figure could be reduced to such a small space.
They played Alan and Crystal's favorite song "In Your Presence, O God". That evoked a lot of emotion.
At the end of the memorial, the pastor gave the Aaronic Blessing in English and then sang it in Hebrew. This was followed by Taps.
Alan's remains were then carried from the room followed by a Bagpiper playing "Amazing Grace" followed by the family and the fife and drum corp. As Alan came by I stepped forward and laid my hand on the coffin for a moment then kinda came apart at the seams for a while.
There was a reception line and I told Crystal how we all miss him. She said that this group was like a second family to him; and how she appreciated how THRers had given Alan so much support over the past year.
I'm a very emotional type and don't do well at funerals. Crystal ended up comforting me. We spoke for a few minutes and then I left.
A few posts back I had asked Bob Locke to give Crystal a hug from all of us. Consider that hug delivered.
J
The memorial started with a fife and drum corp carrying the colors. They were in full regalia, eighteenth century garb, with muskets.
There were the usual testimonials. Alan was there. His remains are in a small stone coffin about 10" x 15" x 12". It is amazing that such a powerful figure could be reduced to such a small space.
They played Alan and Crystal's favorite song "In Your Presence, O God". That evoked a lot of emotion.
At the end of the memorial, the pastor gave the Aaronic Blessing in English and then sang it in Hebrew. This was followed by Taps.
Alan's remains were then carried from the room followed by a Bagpiper playing "Amazing Grace" followed by the family and the fife and drum corp. As Alan came by I stepped forward and laid my hand on the coffin for a moment then kinda came apart at the seams for a while.
There was a reception line and I told Crystal how we all miss him. She said that this group was like a second family to him; and how she appreciated how THRers had given Alan so much support over the past year.
I'm a very emotional type and don't do well at funerals. Crystal ended up comforting me. We spoke for a few minutes and then I left.
A few posts back I had asked Bob Locke to give Crystal a hug from all of us. Consider that hug delivered.
J
P95Carry
Moderator Emeritus
Jim ... I consider you were in a way the THR ''Ambassador'' .. thank you for going. I'd love to know that Alan might have realized just what a lot of distant as well as close frinds he had accrued.
Rest in Peace Alan .. you will not be forgotten.
fivetoes
Member
jimpeel
It was a nice memorial indeed.
I missed meeting you there. I was the guy who gave my tribute at the podium.
I had a version ready to go on Monday night and talked with Crystal and she said that she did not want it to be a political talk so I removed all references of the Tyranny Response Team and did not name THR specifically, but the quote I used about Al describing himself came from an earlier posting in this thread.
Did you get to meet Dudley Brown RMGO? He was parading around with his two year old daughter all dressed in pink. Also in attendence were prominent members of the TRT, all in cognito wearing suits and ties.
Regards,
Tom Buchanan
Hi Jim,
It was a nice memorial indeed.
I missed meeting you there. I was the guy who gave my tribute at the podium.
I had a version ready to go on Monday night and talked with Crystal and she said that she did not want it to be a political talk so I removed all references of the Tyranny Response Team and did not name THR specifically, but the quote I used about Al describing himself came from an earlier posting in this thread.
Did you get to meet Dudley Brown RMGO? He was parading around with his two year old daughter all dressed in pink. Also in attendence were prominent members of the TRT, all in cognito wearing suits and ties.
Regards,
Tom Buchanan
fivetoes
Member
BTW, Bob Locke was there also.
I'm still trying to come to grips with this:
A man who I met last September in my front yard (he was the first to arrive at the Colorado Get Together, of course) is now gone... A man I had many pleasant conversations with on TFL about our antelope hunts... A man I personally had the honor to shake hands with;
Is now gone...
I'm 54 years old. I should be able to deal with the mortality of man. I can't. Labgrade was my friend.
and now he's gone.
Alan, rest in peace. I'm sure we'll meet in the afterlife, have that .309 JDJ ready, my friend, we're heading for the range..
Jim Peel, Bob Locke and any other THR members who attended the funeral (Zak?), thanks for representing the rest of us, I wish I could have been there.
Goodbye Labgrade, it won't ever be the same.
A man who I met last September in my front yard (he was the first to arrive at the Colorado Get Together, of course) is now gone... A man I had many pleasant conversations with on TFL about our antelope hunts... A man I personally had the honor to shake hands with;
Is now gone...
I'm 54 years old. I should be able to deal with the mortality of man. I can't. Labgrade was my friend.
and now he's gone.
Alan, rest in peace. I'm sure we'll meet in the afterlife, have that .309 JDJ ready, my friend, we're heading for the range..
Jim Peel, Bob Locke and any other THR members who attended the funeral (Zak?), thanks for representing the rest of us, I wish I could have been there.
Goodbye Labgrade, it won't ever be the same.
fivetoes
Member
From the local paper; there are many more flowers there now
Family, friends mourn man they all looked up to
By Pamela Dickman
Reporter-Herald Staff Writer
A memorial for Alan Albertus rests this week on a cottonwood tree along the road where his house was destroyed in a fire last Thursday. The fire took Albertus' life. Reporter-Herald/RJ Sangosti
Alan Albertus was tall.
And he loved freedom, the outdoors and his family.
That is how friends described, and said they will remember, the man who perished in a house fire at Carter Lake on Thursday.
“He was a very tall and very slender fellow,†said Longmont resident Mark Call, estimating his friend’s height at 6 feet 6.
Albertus
“I think he was tall in more than one way. He was a man people looked up to in an emotional sense as well as a physical sense.â€
Albertus loved being outdoors, hunting and fishing.
He and his wife, Crystal, lived in a home at Carter Lake, surrounded by the outdoors.
Last Thursday, their home caught fire.
Investigators are still trying to determine how.
As the fire consumed the home, Albertus died inside from carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation.
The 51-year-old, whose memorial service is in Longmont today, had three children and six grandchildren.
For years, he worked as a mechanical engineer before his health forced him to retire. His career involved calibrating lab equipment to make sure it was precise or laboratory grade, said friend Tom Buchanan of Loveland.
That, Buchanan said, is how Albertus got the Web name “labgrade.â€
Outside the charred remains of the Carter Lake house, those who loved Albertus placed flowers and crosses under a tree in his honor with the message: “We miss you.â€
Among those flowers, a small American flag waves.
The foundation of America, freedom, was very important to Albertus, according to his friends.
He helped rally like-minded residents to form the Tyranny Response Team and was never shy to speak up on behalf of freedom, according to Buchanan.
“He was just a freedom-loving guy who believed in his rights and stood up for them,†Buchanan said. “He was a very intelligent, articulate person about how our freedoms are being taken away ... He just loved freedom. There’s no other way to explain it.â€
Buchanan wrote a tribute to Albertus for his memorial service.
“I described him as a brother in arms and a brother with big arms to lean on,†Buchanan said.
“You felt like he was your brother. The world is alittle sadder place.â€
Family, friends mourn man they all looked up to
By Pamela Dickman
Reporter-Herald Staff Writer
A memorial for Alan Albertus rests this week on a cottonwood tree along the road where his house was destroyed in a fire last Thursday. The fire took Albertus' life. Reporter-Herald/RJ Sangosti
Alan Albertus was tall.
And he loved freedom, the outdoors and his family.
That is how friends described, and said they will remember, the man who perished in a house fire at Carter Lake on Thursday.
“He was a very tall and very slender fellow,†said Longmont resident Mark Call, estimating his friend’s height at 6 feet 6.
Albertus
“I think he was tall in more than one way. He was a man people looked up to in an emotional sense as well as a physical sense.â€
Albertus loved being outdoors, hunting and fishing.
He and his wife, Crystal, lived in a home at Carter Lake, surrounded by the outdoors.
Last Thursday, their home caught fire.
Investigators are still trying to determine how.
As the fire consumed the home, Albertus died inside from carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation.
The 51-year-old, whose memorial service is in Longmont today, had three children and six grandchildren.
For years, he worked as a mechanical engineer before his health forced him to retire. His career involved calibrating lab equipment to make sure it was precise or laboratory grade, said friend Tom Buchanan of Loveland.
That, Buchanan said, is how Albertus got the Web name “labgrade.â€
Outside the charred remains of the Carter Lake house, those who loved Albertus placed flowers and crosses under a tree in his honor with the message: “We miss you.â€
Among those flowers, a small American flag waves.
The foundation of America, freedom, was very important to Albertus, according to his friends.
He helped rally like-minded residents to form the Tyranny Response Team and was never shy to speak up on behalf of freedom, according to Buchanan.
“He was just a freedom-loving guy who believed in his rights and stood up for them,†Buchanan said. “He was a very intelligent, articulate person about how our freedoms are being taken away ... He just loved freedom. There’s no other way to explain it.â€
Buchanan wrote a tribute to Albertus for his memorial service.
“I described him as a brother in arms and a brother with big arms to lean on,†Buchanan said.
“You felt like he was your brother. The world is alittle sadder place.â€
jimpeel
Member
fivetoes
Did you bear the coffin to the lobby? I was the guy at the back who stepped forward and touched him as he passed. I was wearing grey slacks, a blue sport coat, and a black Stetson with a silver band.
I didn't recognize anyone there but now that you describe Dudley he was sitting directly across the aisle from me. I've only met him once and then just in passing at the .50 Caliber Shoot.
I usually try to miss funerals and memorials as I don't do well at them. My empathy meter is constantly pegged i.e. I'm quite the crybaby. I once had to tell someone that a mutual friend had passed away and they ended up having to comfort me.
I was glad that I made it, though.
Did you bear the coffin to the lobby? I was the guy at the back who stepped forward and touched him as he passed. I was wearing grey slacks, a blue sport coat, and a black Stetson with a silver band.
I didn't recognize anyone there but now that you describe Dudley he was sitting directly across the aisle from me. I've only met him once and then just in passing at the .50 Caliber Shoot.
I usually try to miss funerals and memorials as I don't do well at them. My empathy meter is constantly pegged i.e. I'm quite the crybaby. I once had to tell someone that a mutual friend had passed away and they ended up having to comfort me.
I was glad that I made it, though.
Steve Smith
Moderator Emeritus
Guys, I missed the service, work would not wait. I'm not happy about that at all, and because of things like this I'm looking for new work. Alan, as these electrons reverbrate in wave form across space, and the light from my monitor flickers to the stars, I want you to know that I wanted to be with you today. You are missed by all your friends, and we look forward to seeing you again. Goodbye my friend.
Zak Smith
Member
Larry, fivetoes, jimpeel, Bob,
I was indeed there with my S.O. Sasha ("Imago" here on THR). We were seated near the back/left - I in black pants, grey sportcoat, blue dress shirt, and dark red tie; Sasha was in all black. It looked like we were some of the only 20-somethings in attendence, besides family.
I was part of all the TRT events starting with the "March on the Governor's Mansion" back in '99 or 2000. Ironically, that's what ended up happening instead of a 2000 TFL CO get-togeter - we all got involved with the TRT instead. I finally "officially" met Alan at Larry's place for the 2003 THR get-together - when we finally got around to doing a CO meet.
Tom, your eulogy was excellent. Thanks.
-z
I was indeed there with my S.O. Sasha ("Imago" here on THR). We were seated near the back/left - I in black pants, grey sportcoat, blue dress shirt, and dark red tie; Sasha was in all black. It looked like we were some of the only 20-somethings in attendence, besides family.
I was part of all the TRT events starting with the "March on the Governor's Mansion" back in '99 or 2000. Ironically, that's what ended up happening instead of a 2000 TFL CO get-togeter - we all got involved with the TRT instead. I finally "officially" met Alan at Larry's place for the 2003 THR get-together - when we finally got around to doing a CO meet.
Tom, your eulogy was excellent. Thanks.
-z
Zak Smith
Member
Another rememberance:
During the end of March, Alan, Josh (grandson), Greg ("Shmackey"), and I coordinated our schedules for a range day at Weld Co. It was kinda cold, and very windy - dust was blowing everywhere. But we stayed on, 'cause we had some serious (ok, not that serious) shooting to get done. I distinctly remember Alan punching 0.75" holes in 1" target dots at 25 yards with slugs through his shotgun. I think Josh got trigger time with my shorty AR15. At dinner a couple months before, Alan had mentioned he'd never really gotten "into" 1911's, so I let him loose with my Dan Wesson 1911- and he liked it. The HK P7 was deemed neat.
The highlight of the day, however, was the .309JDJ. Alan had brought a couple 2-liter bottles filled with water; we set them on the target posts at 55 yards, and blew 'em up with the Contender. What a blast!
-z
During the end of March, Alan, Josh (grandson), Greg ("Shmackey"), and I coordinated our schedules for a range day at Weld Co. It was kinda cold, and very windy - dust was blowing everywhere. But we stayed on, 'cause we had some serious (ok, not that serious) shooting to get done. I distinctly remember Alan punching 0.75" holes in 1" target dots at 25 yards with slugs through his shotgun. I think Josh got trigger time with my shorty AR15. At dinner a couple months before, Alan had mentioned he'd never really gotten "into" 1911's, so I let him loose with my Dan Wesson 1911- and he liked it. The HK P7 was deemed neat.
The highlight of the day, however, was the .309JDJ. Alan had brought a couple 2-liter bottles filled with water; we set them on the target posts at 55 yards, and blew 'em up with the Contender. What a blast!
-z
Balog
Member
I've been offline for a few days, so this is the first I've seen about labgrade's passing.
I can't believe he's gone. I've really come to look at THR as my family, my brothers in arms. I only know him by his posts and my damn monitor's getting blurry.
Godspeed good sir. You will be missed.
I can't believe he's gone. I've really come to look at THR as my family, my brothers in arms. I only know him by his posts and my damn monitor's getting blurry.
Godspeed good sir. You will be missed.
fivetoes
Member
jimpeel
I just drove along the foothills past Al's house on the way home from work. I always thought that if the stuff ever hit the fan Al would be my first choice to be standing next to.
No, that was not me. It was Mark Call.
I just drove along the foothills past Al's house on the way home from work. I always thought that if the stuff ever hit the fan Al would be my first choice to be standing next to.
Safety First
Member
My prayers and sympathy go out to his family...
Bob Locke
Member
jimpeel,
I was sort of wondering if that was you in the back. I was sitting directly across the aisle from you to your left in the blue shirt and tie. You know, the big, good-looking guy!
I apologize for not introducing myself properly, but if I ever see you again I'll know it's you.
That was Mark Call, a local radio host and fellow patriot, carrying the box. He is a fabulous human being, and he and Al were very, very close.
Along with fivetoes, I had also talked with Al about "what if" scenarios, and based on where his house was located, we agreed that would be a pretty good place to be, and Al would be a good guy to be there with.
I don't know if this is all that common or not, and I do know that stress certainly plays a part in it, but Crystal looked to me like she had aged overnight. All things considered, I'm really not surprised by it, but she's always looked several years younger than she actually is. Not on Wednesday.
Alan Albertus is gone, but he lingers with us still in spirit and memory. I know I'll never, ever forget him, and I'm a much better person for having had him as a friend.
Like Al did, we should all strive to live our lives so that a large number of people are similarly upset when WE pass on.
If I drank, I'd hoist a couple to his memory. I'll let this post suffice.
I was sort of wondering if that was you in the back. I was sitting directly across the aisle from you to your left in the blue shirt and tie. You know, the big, good-looking guy!
I apologize for not introducing myself properly, but if I ever see you again I'll know it's you.
That was Mark Call, a local radio host and fellow patriot, carrying the box. He is a fabulous human being, and he and Al were very, very close.
Along with fivetoes, I had also talked with Al about "what if" scenarios, and based on where his house was located, we agreed that would be a pretty good place to be, and Al would be a good guy to be there with.
I don't know if this is all that common or not, and I do know that stress certainly plays a part in it, but Crystal looked to me like she had aged overnight. All things considered, I'm really not surprised by it, but she's always looked several years younger than she actually is. Not on Wednesday.
Alan Albertus is gone, but he lingers with us still in spirit and memory. I know I'll never, ever forget him, and I'm a much better person for having had him as a friend.
Like Al did, we should all strive to live our lives so that a large number of people are similarly upset when WE pass on.
If I drank, I'd hoist a couple to his memory. I'll let this post suffice.
- Status
