Alvin Leroy Halliday

LCDR Alvin Leroy Halliday (USN, ret.), known to his family as Al, and in childhood as Lee, died on  June 6, 2018 from complications of a long life lived after a debilitating stroke in 1992. His wife Michelle Sauceda-Halliday (Misha), daughters Kym Halliday Clear (with Husband Kerry Clear), Tisha Halliday, and son Nathan Sauceda-Halliday (with partner Mekela Kennedy), grandchildren Kaylee Clear, Nicholas Clear, Ananda Grace Hudetz and Cyrus Hudetz, nieces, nephews, extended family and friends  are learning to survive without him.

Al was born in Gilroy, California on to George and Mary (Hartman) Halliday. His parents and his sisters Betty and Dorothy preceded him in death. His education included graduating Point Arena High School, his military training, and the University of Phoenix.  

Al enlisted at the age of 17, in his 20s he was honored to be selected and attend, Naval Officer Training School. He worked in avionics supporting the aircraft he loved and the pilots he respected. He participated in space capsule retrievals during the early space program when capsules returned to earth by splashing into the ocean after reentering the earth’s atmosphere. He remained in the US Navy for decades and retired after having traveled the world. Al spent much of his career on carriers such as the USS Enterprise, USS Constitution and traveled the world learning and working. After retiring from the military, we worked on space shuttle program and defense projects for Martin Marietta - continuing to serve his country and the avionic / aeronautic programs he loved. This work brought him to Albuquerque where he raised his youngest children along the Rio Grande bosque.

Travel and exploration was always important to Al. As a boy, he would leave his home in Salinas to spend summers in Point Arena (California) with his Aunts, Uncles and cousins where he would work the ranch or the dairy, and seek abalone along the coast. He would return to Salinas to play in the fields and relish time with his folks. Weekends with his parents might include trips to Monterey to swim in the bay with the otters. His childhood provided him the wanderlust that later brought him to his life as a Navy officer, and as a master weekend and summer road-tripper. He believed discovering new people and places helped to foster an understanding of the world and the role each of us might play in that world. He pushed all of us to be better, think harder, and do our best in all things. His lessons and values are being shared with the next generation.

Road trips were a joy for his passengers, as the scenes outside the car windows would spark conversations and silly songs. Family nonsense songs are fondly remembered around cows, ocean vistas, desert views, mountain curves and the smell of rain. Annual trips back to Point Arena were an important part of sharing the history of his past with the children of his present. Despite his disability from his strokes, Al always made time and took the effort to take his family to new places, to support their passions, and listen to their stories. His children grew into adults who each took the lessons and love of their childhoods into their lives as world travelers, helping, healing, feeding, and supporting others with creativity and grace. Loving and supporting his wife of 31 years was an important part of that family pride; he was content to support Misha's creativity and career. As his physical health declined bit by bit over the decades, Misha became his primary caretaker, which was simply a continuation of their loving marriage. As he aged, he became quieter, but he was always present for his wife and his family.

Al loved to tinker and figure out how to make things better than how he found them. The world was his community, his home, and he took his part of stewardship of his home seriously. He always had a smile and a twinkle in his eye for the mischievousness he saw in others. He was a fan of all science fiction, from the original Star Trek which was watched religiously even after cancellation, to every sci fi movie he could attend and novels of faraway places. After his first disabling stroke his world became smaller and he focused even more on his family, beloved pets, and favorite restaurants. He knew which birds visited his feeder and probably had names for each hummingbird seeking nectar.

In his own words, “It`s fine”

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to honor.americanheart.org  or the pointarenalighthouse.com in his memory.

Daniels Family Funeral Services

7601 Wyoming Blvd. NE

Albuquerque, NM 87109