Al Lauckner, 73
Al Lauckner, 73, of Moses Lake, Washington, passed away Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017, at Deaconness Medical Center in Spokane with his family at his side.
Al was born in Fallon, Nevada, on May 7, 1943, to Herman and Alma Lauckner.
In 1955, the Lauckner family moved to Kalispell where he was a member of the Foy’s Lake Mountaineers 4-H club and graduated from Flathead County High School in 1961.
Following graduation, Al joined the Army and served with the 101st Airborne Unit.
After leaving the Army, he moved to Kent, Washington, where he met and married his wife of 50 years, Phyllis Chittim. Al and Phyllis had a love for flying and purchased their own plane and built their home on a private airport. He continued to instruct and ferry planes in his spare time. People knew of his expertise in flying, and he was called upon to ferry many planes across the United States. The last plane he flew was the P51 Mustang.
In 1976, Phyllis and Al were blessed with their son, Kevin. Kevin and Al were very much alike, as they both had an insatiable thirst for learning.
In 1965, Al began his 35 yearlong employment with Rocket Research. During his employment, he worked on the Mars Lander and many other space projects. He moved with the company in 1979 to Moses Lake where he was the plant manager for many years.
Al’s true love was his wife Phyllis, son Kevin and grandson Brenden, who survive him.
He is also survived by brothers: Larry (Elaine) Lauckner, of Seattle, and Jim (Rose) Lauckner, Glendive, Montana, sister-in-laws and brother-in-laws Billie and Gordon Herron, of Harrington, Washington, Anna and Steve Hill, of Issaquah, Washington, Mary and Stan Timperley, of Vancouver, Washington, and many nieces and nephews who loved their uncle Al very much.
He was preceeded in death by his parents, Herman and Alma Laucker and sister Ida (Lauckner) Blackwell.
A memorial service has been held and Kayser’s Chapel of Memories is caring for the family. Please sign the online guestbook or leave a note for the family at www.kayserschapel.com