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Alfred J. 'Al' Cammarata Fairfax, VA QCWA # 27494 First Call: WN3AWU |
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Alfred, 'Al' Cammarata passed away peacefully on Friday, May 11th, 2018 at Fairfax nursing center. He was born October 16, 1939 in Pittsburgh, PA to Alfred and Lena Cammarata.
After high school, Al served in the United States Air Force. He had a distinguished career with the government, serving posts in Turkey, Indonesia, Sweden, England, and Washington DC.
He later worked for Intelsat, in the field of international satellite telecommunications. He retired at age 55, and became involved with family genealogy, and wrote his memories, 'A Remarkable Life, Alfred Cammarata'.
Al enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and was very proud of his military and government service. He and his wife Nancy also continued to travel extensively in their retirement.
His hobbies included HAM radio, civil war reenactments and volunteer service with the Fairfax county archeological association and the USO association.
Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Nancy, their daughter Rita, her husband Doug, and grandchildren, Ryan, Kaitlyn and Kyle; also their son Alfred Jr. his wife Holly and grandson Brad. His Brother Marc and his wife Helen as well as many nieces and nephews and family members. He is preceded in death by his parents and brother Mike.
A message to my family from his memoir, 'A remarkable life'.. 'When all is said and done. When the urgency of youth has been served and we reach the sunset of our lives, only one thing in life really matters-family. When my time on this earth is over, do not be sad because I am gone but remember me for how I lived. Oh, how I lived!'
From Al's Guestbook:
Tom Pusateri
May 21, 2018
Al and I met at Perry High School in our early High School days. I had a long time interest in Ham radio because my best's friends dad was an inactive ham. I did nothing about it until Al invited me to join the Amateur Radio Club in school. He got his license before me around 1955. We would go home from school and communicate on Short Wave radio using Morris code (CW). Al was much better than me with the code and little did we know that using that skill would be part of his lively hood. Al's call is W3AWU and mine was W3CPI, we got our calls the last time the FCC issued "W" 1 by 3 calls( this would mean something to hams, shows he was a old timer.) His dad would take us to Ham Fests (Picnic/radio flee mkt) and as we got older and could drive we would go to the Amateur Transmitter Association (ATA) ham radio meeting at the planetarium in Pittsburgh.
After High School we did not see each other much but I would visit with him when ever my wife and I were in Washington DC. I moved to the Chicago area in the early 1970's and we would talk on 20 Meters. I consider him a life long friend who's voice I will miss on the air.
Tom W9NBG
