Alfred Lawrence {AL} Conte

Alfred Lawrence Al Conte, 85, a retired US Army Colonel and veteran of World War II, passed away January 13, 2007 at the Frederick Memorial Hospital in Frederick, Maryland.

He was the husband of the late Josie Jo Hendricks Conte.

Born December 7, 1921 in Freeport, Pennsylvania, Al was the son of the late Pasquale and Philomena Conte and the seventh of nine children of Italian immigrant parents.

Eighteen months out of high school and working for the Pennsylvania Railroad while taking night classes at Carnegie Tech, Al was celebrating his 20th birthday on Sunday, December 7th, 1941 when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He volunteered for the Infantry at the local Army Recruiting station the next day.

Following Infantry training in early 1942, he was assigned to the 26th Division but was soon recommended by his commander for Officer Candidate School. Al completed OCS in March 1943 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in Engineers.

Al was stationed at Greenville Army Air Field, South Carolina in early 1943 when he met Josie Hendricks, a beautiful red-headed Bonafide Rosie the Riveter who built bombers by day and volunteered for the Red Cross during off-hours.

They corresponded throughout the war and on January 16, 1946, Al and Jo married in Clemson, SC.

Lieutenant Conte served in the Pacific theater of World War II from 1943 until 1945. He served in New Guinea campaign of 1943-44 and the liberation of the Philippines 1944-45. He was aboard a troopship preparing for the invasion of Japan when the war in the Pacific concluded.

After the war ended he left active duty but remained active in the Army Reserve, Military Intelligence Branch attaining the rank of Colonel by the time he retired from service in 1973. and attended Clemson A&M College, earning a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1951. After graduation he worked with Union Carbide in Oak Ridge, TN until 1961. While in Oak Ridge he worked with the Atomic Energy Commission. He was a founding member of several churches and helped design and build the First Methodist Church in Oak Ridge. In 1962, Al transferred with Carbide, moving his family to Cleveland, Ohio, until his retirement in the 1980's. His success at Carbide include the development of several machines and parts which became patented. After his retirement Al and Jo relocated to Walhalla, SC where they built their retirement home on 25 acres of farm land. He continued working as a consulting engineer with several budding engineering endeavors.

After Jo passed away in 1998, Al relocated to Frederick, MD in 2002 to be closer to his children, where he became a member of the Brook Hill United Methodist Church remaining an active member until his recent passing.

He is survived by five children: Bob Conte and wife Maureen of Potomac Falls, VA; Karen Conte Call and husband Bob of Montgomery Village, MD; Rick Conte and wife Miah of Bellevue, WA; Tina Conte Issette of Potomac Falls, VA; and John Conte and wife Dejanira of Londonderry, NH. He leaves five grandchildren; David, Doug, Jessica, Matt and Brian, one brother, Charles Conte, of Tidoute, PA and one sister, Genevieve Hissem of Oakmont, PA.

Besides his wife, Al is preceded in death by a son, Alfred Conte, Jr.; brothers, Dominick Conte and Frank Conte; sisters, Rose Conte Ponteri, Mary Conte, Mae Conte and Ginny Conte Jacka.

Visitation: See above information

Services: A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, January 17, 2007 at 1:00 PM at the Brook Hill United Methodist Church, 8946 Indian Springs Rd., Frederick, MD with Rev. Linda Warehime officiating.
A service and burial will be held in Clemson, SC later in the week.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Fisher House Foundation, Inc., 1401 Rockville Pike, Suite 600, Rockville, MD 20852 or to the American Heart Association, P.O. Box 5216, Glen Allen, VA, 23058.