Albert Ernest Howerton

To his many friends he was “Al,” but to his family he was always “Albert.”

Albert Ernest Howerton died at home in Seaside on Thursday, May 3. He was born in Portland in 1938 to Albert F. and Dorothy Howerton. He had four siblings who proceeded him in death, Harry, Ronald, Dorothy and Lucille, and one surviving brother, Robert. He spent his youth living in several Oregon cities: Portland, The Dalles, Toledo and Newport,

In 1957, he met the woman who later became his wife of almost 59 years, Dorothy Irene Hudson. They were married two years later on June 12, 1959, in Toledo, Oregon. They renewed those vows to each other two additional times, in 1984 and again in 2009.

They raised two children, Suzan Jean Howerton (born in 1963), and Tracy Allen Howerton (born in 1961), who is married to Sarah. Tracy has one son, Jeffery Allen Howerton, who, with his wife Haleigh, have two children, Alison and Derek.

At the time of their marriage, Albert was in the Air Force National Guard. Albert and Dorothy later moved to Seaside, Oregon, in 1962, where he worked several different jobs; as a logger, mill worker, but mainly as a car mechanic in gas stations.

Albert had several hobbies, mostly doing with the outdoors. He loved to go hunting, fishing and clamming. He was also an avid card player. His favorites were Liverpool rummy and cribbage. He even found a way to combine his hobbies. He made fishing pole holders out the windows of his truck, so when he was fishing off the beach, he could play cribbage and drink coffee with his friends in the comfort of his truck.

He was an early morning coffee drinker. If he wasn’t in bed at 4 a.m., you would know he was having coffee somewhere. He always had his favorite restaurant, and while it was open, it was Rob’s Restaurant. When the early morning staff came in, they would find him and his group there, with the grills and coffee on and the ice filled. The funny thing is, he almost never drank coffee at home. He didn’t even own a coffee pot until recently.

At this time there will be no funeral. The family has chosen to have a celebration of life event around the time of what would have been his 80th birthday in July.