Alan Douglas Worrell "He trained the best of us"
: November 23, 2017, 07:27:21 AM »
Alan was born on March 6, 1930 and died on June 24, 2013
Alan Douglas Worrell passed away quietly at his beloved home on Fishtrap Loop on Monday, June 24, 2013. He was 83. Alan was born on March 6, 1930 in Clarinda, Iowa to Frank and Nina Worrell. He graduated from Medford High School and attended Oregon State University. He also served in the U.S. Air Force from 1951 to 1955, receiving the National Defense Service Medal. He became an Air Traffic Controller for the FAA in 1956 and would serve that agency loyally until his retirement at the end of May, 1980, less than two weeks after the Mount St. Helens eruption.
Alan had one particular and admirable trait that set him apart – he firmly believed that any activity he pursued was worth his total attention and best effort. This attitude came from his service in the Air Force as well as his years as an Air Traffic Controller working at the FAA Center, Auburn, WA. There was absolutely no room for error in his profession and he was dedicated to that truth and he never failed. After retirement, he was able to focus and expand on a lifelong hobby, that of being a modern day version of a “Mountain Man.” He was a licensed trapper, hunter and fisherman, active to a professional level. One year he applied for and received a State tag for Mountain Goat, a very difficult and usually unsuccessful effort. It was the only trophy he ever had mounted. After years of conventional hunting, he felt the game was at a distinct disadvantage and decided to level the playing field. He worked at bow hunting, mastered it, and finally settled on black powder smooth bore rifles, essentially a musket. The game was now, more often than not, the winner. He was practically legendary in his ability to take Steelhead Trout and was always willing to share knowledge with other fishermen, extending beyond fish to clams, crabs, oysters and smelt. Alan religiously practiced and understood the delicate balance between man, the environment and its occupants.
( From Alan's Obituary in "Funeral Alternatives of Washington.)
A graveside service was held at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, July 2, 2013 at Tahoma National Cemetery in Covington, and a celebration of his life for Friends and Family at a later date.
Alan and Esther Worrell and their dogs “Chief and Charmaine” used to live behind our home in Kent WA. I was about 10 years old when over the backyard fence I saw all of Al’s traps “rusting” up on the roof of his house. Later that winter we noticed Esther had Al posing for a snapshot in front of all the Beaver, Otter, Raccoon, Mink, Coyote, Bobcat and Muskrat furs spread across the back of their home.
I wasn't long before I had Al convinced into letting me tag along with him on his trapline.
From Sunup to Sundown we covered as much ground as any Mountain Man did checking all his sets in one day.
We started in Kent, WA along the Green River and then we headed for Covington Creek in Black Diamond, cutting over to the Puyallup River we then headed down to the Nisqually River. Turning North we drove all the way up to the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River, crossing over to the Sauk River before going west to the mouth of the Skagit River.
We followed the setting sun with a truckload of Critters that needed to be skinned before heading to bed that evening and a well deserved rest. After keeping pace with Al on his trapline that day, I was convinced that this was the life for me. I'm happy to say from that day on, Al took me under his wing proceeding to teach me the ropes.
Thank you Old friend, for the memories we shared throughout the years, you will sure be missed. Doug
