Alan Carroll

Alan was the first baby of the year born at Clinton Memorial Hospital in St. Johns on January 1, 1964. Growing up the middle child between two sisters, he was alternately a great playmate and a terror to both Peggy and Cheri. As a toddler, he much preferred playing on the swingset to napping. One of his favorite toys was Matchbox cars, marking the start of his lifelong love of all things automotive.

As Jim and Cathy were building their home on Wildcat Road when Alan was just 3 years old, Alan was fascinated by the building process. He spent so much time talking to the builders that they called him “Alley Cat.” From then on, he accompanied Jim as often as possible on electrical jobs, becoming quite a skilled electrician by the time he was in high school.

Alan had high school friends who remained close throughout the rest of his life. Alan, with Brian Simon, Mike Powers, Gary Lewis, Scott Nicholes, Doug Sheldon, and Ron Patrick, played rec. basketball and had other escapades that are best - and often - repeated over beers.

Alan cruised along in school without putting in much effort. He thought he would simply follow in his father’s footsteps as an electrician. His parents thought differently. They strongly encouraged him to take all that electrical knowledge to a higher level, as college education was their top priority for all of their children.

Alan learned about Michigan Tech’s electrical engineering program and, from his first college visit to remote Houghton, Michigan, he was hooked. He loved everything about the school and the Upper Peninsula. While struggling through college classes, Alan found part-time work at a store whose owner had a son, Evan, about Alan’s age. Evan and Alan became fast friends. Although post-college life took Alan back “down state,” he and Evan stayed in close touch. Alan would spend a week each year with Evan, snowmobiling, working on projects, and making acquisitions (i.e., “picking”). At the time of Alan’s death, he was planning his trip north to visit Evan, and he left behind a handwritten list entitled “Evan’s Projects.”

Alan’s professional career started in Troy, Michigan, where he met another great friend, Brian Pfieffer. But, eventually, Alan had a desire to move back to St. Johns. After landing an engineering position at the Board of Water & Light, things really started to fall in place. Alan met the love of his life, Kristin Kloeckner, at Bruno’s Bar on Thanksgiving Eve. His family could tell he was a goner… Kristin was clearly “the one.” At about the same time, Alan found a great deal on a 30-acre parcel of land with woods in the back, making an ideal building site. “Alley Cat” could finally plan and build his very own house. Alan and Kristin were married on October 14, 1995, and lived in that home all their married life.

As a child annoyed with having only sisters, he married into a large family of girls. Lee and Jenine Kloeckner accepted Alan into their fold, but his sisters-in-law made sure Alan understood he would get no preferential treatment. Alan and Kim Kloeckner, in particular, would get into some doozies of arguments. And, while Alan would complain to Kristin, Lee and others about the amount of estrogen in the Kloeckner household, he loved all of the Kloeckner girls and the entire Kloeckner clan.

As good as Alan’s life was at that point, his life was truly complete and blessed with the birth of first Jamie in 1998 and then Jared in 2001. No father was more proud of his children, and he would play and roughhouse with them from the time they were old enough to crawl, at times rougher than Kristin would prefer! From the time they were born, they were the focus of his and Kristin’s lives.

From early on, Jamie showed a natural athletic ability (which Alan liked to say came from him but everyone knew came from Kristin) for soccer, basketball and softball. Alan found it nearly impossible to keep his mouth shut on the sidelines, but eventually learned that if he kept the stats of the games he could somewhat keep his lips zipped. He would go over the stats with Jamie to try to help her improve her game. Alan was also so proud of how Jamie earned top marks in school.

Jared’s inquisitive mind was fueled by Alan. From the time he was old enough to play with them, Legos and other building blocks were Jared’s favorite toys. Alan and Jared would spend hours putting together intricate Lego sets with hundreds of pieces. Alan delighted in bragging about how Jared was known in school as the kid who loved and was so good at math that he got other kids interested in math, too.

Getting back to Alan’s love of the automobile… Alan’s first car was a 1966 VW Beetle that he purchased for $50.00 and brought home mostly in boxes containing its parts. He spent months reading up on how to restore it to its original state (because nothing else would do), and countless hours getting ‘er in running condition. He ultimately sold it for a hefty profit, and moved on to the next of many VW projects. Eventually, his attention turned to muscle cars, and he found a 1967 Dodge Dart convertible that has been stored in his barn many years, just waiting for Alan to have the time and inclination to restore.

Alan was many things to many people… a true friend you could call anytime when you needed a hand, a hockey buff, a wannabe professional picker, a demanding coworker/boss (earning the nickname “Anal Alan”), a smug know-it-all but the guy you called when you needed advice, everything his parents could ever ask for in a son, a loving but demanding father, and a husband who both loved and drove Kristin crazy at times. Alan was far from perfect, but he was a very good man. And very loved.

Alan James Carroll passed away suddenly on, February 8, 2013, at the age of 49. Born on January 1, 1964 in St. Johns, he was the son of James and Catherine (Findlay) Carroll. Alan married Kristin (Kloeckner) on October 14, 1995 in St. Johns and she survives him. Alan was an electrical engineering manager with Lansing Board of Water and Light.

Alan is also survived by his two children, Jamie and Jared Carroll, his parents, James Carroll and Catherine Carroll, sisters, Peggy (David) Steiniger, Cheryl (Ruben) Nodarse, mother-in-law, Jenine Kloeckner, sisters-in-law, Kim Kloeckner, Shelly McDonald, Kelly (Joerg) Mossbrucker, Korine (John) Hoffman, as well as his nieces and nephews, Sarah and AJ Nodarse, Jon Steiniger, Alexsis, Nicolas and Claudia Mossbrucker, Tyler, Jacob and Hannah Hoffman. He was preceded in death by his father-in-law, Leroy Kloeckner.

Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 16, 2013, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in St. Johns, with Fr. Michael Williams presiding. Burial will follow the service at Mt. Rest Cemetery.

The family will receive friends on Thursday, from 2-4 p.m. & 6-9 p.m., with rosary being prayed at 7:00 p.m. and followed by a sharing time at Osgood Funeral Home, 104 E. Cass St., St. Johns.