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KOLB, ALBERT CROWELL Al was born 11-7-1920 in Madera, CA and left this world for his next adventure on 10-23-2013. His family moved to Monterey, CA when he was just an infant, where they had a chicken farm on "Kolb Avenue". After working his way through high school and college he received Bachelors and Masters Degrees at UC Davis and a Masters in Education at ASU. He served in the Pacific in the Fourth NCB Battalion on the USS Highlands during WWII and retired from the Navy Reserves as a Lt. Commander. During the 1950's he managed 100 men and 10,000 acres of farm land for Heidrick Brothers Farms of Woodland, CA. In the 1960's he started a new career as a teacher at Carmel Middle School and served 2 years on the CA State Commission on Teacher Preparation and Licensing in Sacramento. In 1973-74 he was honored to be included in a "teacher exchange program" and taught school in Ararat, Victoria, Australia. Over many summers he and his step-sons and their friends built a mountain cabin above Durango CO - without benefit of electricity or running water. His passion was knitting and he knitted well over 2,000 garments that were donated to ARCA group homes, homeless shelters and the "preemie" ward of UNMH. He donated just under 30 gallons of blood not including that during WWII. He was a member of the Masons and a past member of the Sierra Vista Civitan Club. A memorial service will be held in Durango, CO at a later date. He is survived by his wife Gloria; sons Steve (Rilla) of Jacksonville FL, Chuck (Kim) of Woodland, CA and Ken (Jean) of CA; step-children Twila Donaldson of Albuquerque, Terry Vaughan and Tim Vaughan of Durango, CO; and ten grandchildren. He was a big man with a big heart, so in lieu of flowers the family requests that you do something nice for someone else.
        Published on: Tue October 29, 2013