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Alfred "Alfie" Camerlin, Class of 1970, Rest In Peace

Writer's picture: Victor A. GalvezVictor A. Galvez

Updated: Apr 3, 2019


Alfred "Alfie" Camerlin, Class of 1970. Alfred passed away on September 15, 2013. His sister Susan is keeping his memory alive. Please read the letters below which tell a little bit about Alfie. RIP Brother...!!!


To: Steve@SAMarcy.com

From: Susan Camerlin

Subject: Re: Alumni Reunion


Hi Steve and Vic,

We called my brother Eddie and I used to tease him something fierce when the seminarians would call and ask for "Alfie".

He would give me that look little sisters never paid any attention to and walked off laughing. We also lived in the boundaries

for when you guys went hiking. It wasn't uncommon for a few guys to be at our front door asking for a ride back to the Seminary.

I also heard some stories that I'm sure were not part of Seminary formation.....like sitting on the wall at the entrance to the Seminary

at 11am waving to the cars as they went by. I'm sure if I thought more about it I could come up with more.

I remember people like Mike Mendeola and Peter Raptis and someone named Tim.

(That would be Tim Mulvenon.)

Someone came to Eddie's funeral

and greeted me saying he went to High School with him. I was shocked that he said High School instead of The Seminary

or Regina Cleri. He said his name but it didn't ring a bell. I don't know who it was. I wonder if he was at the wrong funeral.

At least he paid his respects whoever he was.

Eddie loved to play the organ and piano. In fact his piano is still here in the house. Know anyone who would like to buy

a piano? Anyway he could pound those keys and make the house jump! He told me he was in the choir loft at St. Johns

playing the organ in his usual intense style when the building started shaking and the floor was moving. Someone yelled for him

to get out it was an earthquake!!!!! He thought he had done it!

I'll say one thing, he sure lived through earthquakes in CA, tornadoes in TX, flooding here in Tucson, fires close but not

to put him in danger in CA too.

He was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in his 40"s. Maybe even had it in his 30's but didn't know it. As time went on he suffered from

IBS, heart, kidney, liver problems. Five years before he died he lost one leg below the knee and in January before he died he lost the other leg.

Six weeks before he died he was doing well, went back to work and seeming to getting back to "normal". Our dad was 91 at the time

and he was doing poorly. I spent my time between being here in Tucson and in Ft. Worth with Eddie. It was getting too much and I had asked

him to come back to Tucson. I could take care of both of them if they were under one roof but not 900 miles apart.

My last visit with him was in February of 2013 when I brought him home to his apartment in TX from his second leg amputation. I spent some time with him helping

him get resettled and going to therapy. I had to come home to take care of my dad as my neighbors were watching him while I was in TX.

Eddie had agreed when he had his 62 Birthday he would come home.

We had a deal that he would talk to me every day just to make sure he was ok. We had no family in TX and he was alone. He never married and

had no children. He had good friends and the apartments where he lived had quite a few American Airline coworkers living there. They would check on

him. But he needed more help.

That last Saturday I talked with him last he was having dinner with a friend who had helped him out for years. I knew she was coming over and I would tease

him to make sure he didn't burn the dinner. Remember Ernie the chef at Regina Cleri, Eddie learned a lot from him. Eddie was also quite a chef himself.

Before we hung up we said I Love You like we always did. On Sunday he didn't answer the phone and I figured he was in the shower and would call back.

I didn't really worry about it. There was never a phone call or an email. On Monday I was washing purificators and towels from church so I didn't check he computer

that day. I called at 4:00 pm Tucson time as I always did. No answer. 4:15pm no answer....told my dad something was wrong. Dad said he is ok. 4:30 I called again

no answer....I left him a message telling him as soon as I figured out how to do a 911 call 900 miles way I was going to have a well fare check done on him and he could

get mad but he deserved it for not answering the phone. Well several weeks later as I tried to think what I could have done differently I started to laugh as I could hear my brother

saying IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH! The police told me they found him in his bed, he had died in his sleep. I'm pretty sure he had a heart attack and when the Lord Called he said

GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!! He went home to be with our mother her had died 19 years earlier from a heart attack and Diabetes too.

My dad died 11 months later from Kidney Failure at the age of 92. This year it will be 25 years for my mom in November, 6 years for Eddie in September, and 5 years for my dad in August.

The cat and I are here in my childhood home. My neighbors who watched my dad when I was in TX now watch me. It is weird to think I am now 3 years older than my brother ever was.

I guess I could go on and on but I will give you a break.

Thank You for responding. You can use any of this in a memorial for him if you like.

Thank You for inviting me to the reunion but not so sure I will come. I'm not one for

coming to something where I don't really know anyone.

If you need to contact me or for me to send something to you feel free to do so.

I'm not computer savvy, but I'm sure I could send you some pictures of Eddie by snail mail.

God Bless You!!!!

Susan Camerlin

7557 E. 33rd Street

Tucson, AZ 85710

(520) 298-3277 HM

-----Original Message-----




From: SAMarcy <Steve@SAMarcy.com>

To: 'Regina Cleri Seminary Students' <reginacleriseminary@hotmail.com>; camerlinsus <camerlinsus@aol.com>

Sent: Sat, Mar 30, 2019 10:24 pm

Subject: RE: Alumni Reunion


Hello, Susan,

I remember him very well—we called him “Alfie.”

He, Steve Whalen and I hung out quite a bit—he and Steve were our two organists.

I remember stringing wire and placing two speakers up in the choir loft for the electric organ.

Ah, memories!

I, too, am very sorry for your loss and also encourage you to be a part of our RCS community.

Vic, I’ll send you what I have sometime tomorrow.

Thanks,

Steve Marcy, Class of ‘72




From: Regina Cleri Seminary Students [mailto:reginacleriseminary@hotmail.com]

Sent: Saturday, March 30, 2019 9:59 PM

To: camerlinsus@aol.com; RCS Stephen Marcy, '72 <Steve@SAMarcy.com>

Subject: Re: Alumni Reunion


Hello Susan,

We would be happy to recognize your brother, Alfred, on the website and at the 2020 reunion.

Memorializing those who cannot be with us is such a good idea. It will be part of our Reunion activities.

I am so sorry for your loss. I did not know your brother but I'm sure he was a great man. Rest assured, Alfred is with our Lord.

Sincerely,

Victor Galvez, '75

-------- Original message --------




From: camerlinsus@aol.com

Date: 3/30/19 11:00 PM (GMT-06:00)

To: reginacleriseminary@hotmail.com

Subject: Alumni Reunion


Hello,

I am wondering if you are having a Memorial of some kind for Alumni who

have passed.

My brother Alfred Camerlin graduated from Regina Cleri in 1970.

He passed away September 15, 2013 at the age of 61.

He had many medical problems caused from Diabetes. He

carried his crosses quietly but as his only sibling I knew them

well.

He loved his High School years in the Seminary.

He went on to St. John's Seminary in CA for 3 years before leaving.

In his 30's he went to St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana for a couple more

years before living the rest of his life as a lay person.

I still call St. Augustine High School Regina Cleri or The Seminary!

God's Blessings!

Susan Camerlin




Alfred Camerlin Obituary:

ALFRED E. CAMERLIN IV "EDDIE" 4/19/1952 - 9/15/2013 61, Employee of American Airlines Reservation Center, Ft. Worth, TX. Predeceased by mother Dorothy Camerlin. Survived by father, Alfred Camerlin Jr.; and sister, Susan Camerlin. Donations to the American Diabetes Association All Services on Tuesday, September 24, 2013 at Our Mother Of Sorrows Catholic Church, 1800 S. Kolb Rd. Visitation 10:00 a.m. with Rosary at 10:30 a.m. followed by Mass at 11:00 a.m. Interment follows at Our Lady of the Desert Cemetery. Arrangements by BRING's BROADWAY CHAPEL, bringfuneralhome.com

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