Albert Josef Kohnle, 86, left this earthly world on September 10. He was born in 1932 in Schwabisch Gmund, Germany, the middle child of seven. He immigrated to the United States in 1950, joined the U.S. Army in 1952, and became a citizen of the United States. Al proudly served his adoptive country in Korea and Vietnam. After 27 years of a military career serving in various locations, he retired as Command Sergeant Major in 1979 settling in Florida, most recently in Sun City Center and The Villages. He went on to pursue a second career working for the State of Florida correction system for 10 years.
For many years, Al was a dedicated and loving husband and caregiver to Louise, his wife of 60 years, who preceded him in death in 2015. He will be remembered for his wit, sense of humor, kindness and fun-loving nature. He made friends easily and was loved and will be remembered by many.
Al was a true German who loved soccer and beer. The family did a lot of camping early in his career, and he raised his daughters to love fishing and the outdoors. Upon retirement, he took up golf, enjoying the occasional game with his daughter that lived in Florida. He made special memories visiting Colorado, his state of immigration, hiking, fishing, and sitting on the deck of his other daughter’s home looking out at the Rocky Mountains. He enjoyed bowling and playing cards (bridge, pinochle, poker) with friends, and would love to win the ten cent pots-just for the sake of winning.
Our Dad and Opa was loved and will be sorely missed by his two surviving daughters, Deni George (John) and Lory Courtney (Brent), 3 granddaughters and 5 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his six siblings: 2 sisters in the United States (Liesel and Doris) and 2 brothers and 2 sisters living in Germany (Gerhard, Reinhold , Margot, and Hildegard).
Albert will be interred at the Florida National Cemetery with an honor guard ceremony to be held at a later date.