Alfred Eugene Oakland

Alfred Eugene Oakland

May 1, 1944 - September 21, 2026

After living a full and rich life, at age 82 Al Oakland passed away suddenly on September 21. He will be missed by those who knew and loved him. He was married to his wife Jane for just shy of 60 years. Their children, Karen and Dan, as well as their extended families, lost a remarkable man.

Al grew up in Staten Island, New York, the grandson of a Swedish immigrant, in a family he often described as “loud” with a lot of teasing and being called a “squarehead.” On his mother’s side, he was proud that his roots could be traced back to Plymouth Colony and a signer on the Declaration of Independence. Growing up near NYC, he liked to share stories of working union construction jobs with his father and taking dates to shows on Broadway, including the original Funny Girl starring Barbra Streisand.

He left New York for the University of Kentucky with an ROTC scholarship, where he joined the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and met Jane. Entering the US Air Force in 1967 after college planning to become a pilot, he failed the eye exam required and avoided being sent to Vietnam, instead finding himself assigned to a mechanical engineering role in Sacramento, CA.

During more than 12 years in the Air Force, the growing family moved from California to Florida, to North Dakota and Ohio, before Al left the military and joined Hughes Aircraft / Raytheon from Thousand Oaks, CA. Al and Jane relocated to Tucson, AZ, in 1990.

Al deeply loved the views of the Catalina Mountains, enjoying hiking, cycling, tennis, and of course his favorite pastime, golf. Al and Jane traveled around the country and world, with Al getting the chance to work in Spain with Raytheon for several years.

Those who knew Al know he lived his life as a true Renaissance Man, with energy and enthusiasm for too many topics to list. He highly valued adventure, self-reliance, learning, and the outdoors, passing those values along to his children and other young people. He’d never allow “sitting around” unless it involved watching baseball or college basketball on TV.

• He prized the Boy Scouts and led numerous backpacking and other trips. He was incredibly proud to see his grandson achieve Eagle rank and graduate from college.
• He taught his kids to bike, ski, canoe, fish, camp, and hit a tennis ball. He helped them learn to drive a stick shift, pass math class, manage money, and take risks.
• He coached the kids’ baseball, softball, and soccer teams - and even started an adult soccer league in Ohio.
• He maintained his pilot’s license for years flying Cessnas, taking day trips and one epic cross-country trip in 1982.
• He loved woodworking, building beautiful custom furniture for family and friends.
• After retirement he couldn’t sit still. He taught business classes at Pima Community College, wrote several books, and continued to play golf, tennis and bridge.
• He liked to experiment with cooking and will be deeply missed as the maker of Granny’s red velvet cake at Thanksgiving.

Al loved UK and Arizona Wildcat basketball, cowboy movies, chocolate ice cream, puzzles, visiting Alaska and Montana, and planning trips with good friends like the Delphs and the Hicks. He was happiest in the wilderness, or when his children or students achieved a milestone – on their own, of course.

We invite you to share your favorite memories and photos of Al and join us in our celebration of his incredible life.

Swedish Proverb

Fear less, hope more

Eat less, chew more

Whine less, breathe more

Talk less, say more

Hate less, love more, and

All good things will be yours.