Alan C. D'Andrea, 84
Alan C. D'Andrea passed away July 3, 2011, in Tacoma, Wash., after having struggled with congestive heart disease for the past 18 months. Alan was born in Wardner on April 3, 1927, the eldest of six children of Tony V. D'Andrea and Ruth D'Andrea.
He grew up during a difficult time in U.S. history, with the Depression and the start of World War II.
Alan was always an energetic active child, he delivered newspapers for $8 a month and bought the best Schwinn bicycle for $30. He learned how to drive at age 14 and delivered groceries house to house in Wardner, which was the custom at that time. His sophomore summer he worked in Puyallup, Wash., for a fruit packing cannery while living with his aunt and uncle.
The next summer he worked during the construction of Farragut Naval Training Station, at the south end of Lake Pend Oreille, working on the railroad he carried a 90-pound railroad jack and bar all day, the hardest work he could ever remember.
He graduated from Kellogg High School, lettering as a member of the boxing and football teams.
From an early age his interest in life was always flying, he made model airplanes, took flying lessons and flew solo at age 16, receiving his pilot's license at 18.
He joined the Army Air Corps Kadet program upon graduating from high school and received his basic training at Keesler Air Force Base, at Biloxi, Miss.
The Kadet program was canceled toward the end of the war. Alan stayed in the Air Corps and was serving in the islands of the Philippines when the war ended.
He returned to Kellogg, working at many different jobs, including miner, fireman and taxi driver.
In 1948, he went to work for the Navy at Adak, Alaska, as an automobile mechanic.
He returned to Idaho in two years, bought a new Chrysler convertible, and shortly there after enrolled at the University of Idaho.
During the summers while in college, he worked in Alaska, at the Bremerton Naval shipyard, and for the civil aviation administration in Las Vegas.
Upon completion of college in 1954, he returned to Kellogg, received his real estate and masters commercial appraisal license and started selling real estate.
He married Mary Ann Edwards in 1957 and they moved to Fullerton, Calif., where job opportunities were much better.
He worked for several manufacturing companies, all the time improving his positions.
He went to night school and studied production and inventory control, plus accounting and bookkeeping.
In 1961, he moved to San Fernando, Calif., and went to work for Standard Register Printing as material control and warehouse supervisor.
In 1963, he got a better paying job in Riverside, Calif., with AMAX Aluminum Co., which manufactured aluminum for the mobile home and travel trailer industry. His job was production control and scheduling for three mills, which supplied 12 fabricating plants located in different states. His position was upgraded to analyzing labor and inventory production efficiencies. During that time, he invented some new machines which saved the company thousands of dollars. He quit and was hired as production manager for Aristocrat Travel Trailer at twice his previous salary, at a time it was the largest trailer factory in the world.
In 1968, AMAX was building a new fabrication plant in Boise. Alan was offered and took the job, and worked with the contractor to get the plant up and operating.
Shortly after this period, ATCO Industries offered him the position of general manager in the Nampa mobile home facility. That lasted with good success until ATCO closed the plant in 1975.
He traveled up the ALCAN highway to Anchorage, Alaska, selling mobile homes during the construction of the oil pipeline. After a couple of years the pipeline was dying down and his old boss at AMAX hired him back and he worked in Riverside.
In 1982, he moved to Tacoma. He started a used mobile home broker business, and he also sold real estate and appraised mobile homes.
He has lived in Spanaway, Wash., for the past few years.
Alan was one of those individuals who lived his life following his interests.
He enjoyed life to the fullest, especially dancing, flying, boating, duck and bird hunting, fly-fishing, and in later years, golf.
He traveled to Mexico, Hawaii and Europe with his long-time love and companion of 25 years, Angi Beach.
Alan was preceded in death by his parents, brother Norman and his ex-wife.
He is survived by his son, Lance D'Andrea of Boise; sister Jan Delavan of Coeur d'Alene; brothers Doug D'Andrea of Coeur d'Alene, James D'Andrea of Post Falls, and Tom D'Andrea of Overland Park, Kan.
At his request there is no memorial service.