Albert Francis Fillner

Al's Prayer Service will be livestreamed here: https://vimeo.com/event/3558520

His tribute video may be viewed here: https://www.tributeslides.com/tributes/show/PZY43SMK6HL92HXQ

Albert Francis Fillner was born in Ettrick, WI, on February 27, 1927, to Clarence and Fanny (Perring) Fillner. He was raised in Galesville, WI, where he attended school and was involved in nearly all sports activities – his favorite being baseball. His first job was being a paper boy at age 12. He also worked at Dutton’s Farm, taking care of chickens, the Galesville Canning Factory during pea harvest, and the Coca-Cola bottling company during the summers. He was his class president in high school, and after graduation in 1945, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps Reserve. After basic training in Biloxi, MS, he attended Radio Maintenance School in Scott Field, IL. He was then assigned to a Radio Maintenance Squadron in Guam until April 11, 1947, when he returned home to await reassignment in an Air Force Reserve Unit. He was granted an Honorable Discharge on April 8, 1950.

Al was hired by AT&T after attending the Milwaukee School of Engineering in the Equipment Maintenance department. While in Milwaukee, he met the love of his life, Mavis Vander Velde. They were married on June 30, 1951, in Galesville, WI.

Shortly afterward, he was transferred to Fargo, ND, where he continued to work for AT&T until his retirement in June 1979.

Al and Mavis had two sons, Paul (Cindy) of Vancouver, WA, and Marc (Mitzi) of Audubon, MN; 4 grandchildren, Sean Fillner, Christina (Brooke) Turner, Corey Fillner, Jace (Melissa) Fillner; 6 great-grandchildren, Rachel, Lauren, Sarah, Lillian, Emma, and Renton.

Prior to retirement, Al was involved with the start up of the Babe Ruth Baseball program in Fargo. He coached American Legion baseball for eight years. Besides baseball, Al enjoyed golf and was credited with making three hole-in-one shots.

After a brief retirement, Al began driving for Courier Dispatch, where he made deliveries in the tri-state area for about five years. He then worked for Lunde Auto for about 19 years, driving and towing cars for delivery.
He finally fully retired in 2012.

Al passed away on July 3, 2023, at the age of 96. He was very proud of his family and always wanted to make sure we were all okay. He will be remembered for his generosity, kind heart, and the ability to make everyone laugh! We were truly blessed to have him in our lives.