COLUMBUS
Alfred William Carey Jr., 93, of Columbus, died at 7:20 p.m. Sunday, Sep. 17, 2017, at Homeview Health and Rehabilitation Center in Franklin Indiana.
Born May 5, 1924, in Brooklyn, New York, Alfred was the only child of Agnes (Petersen) and Alfred Carey Sr.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 69 years, Gladys(Navis). They were high-school sweethearts.
Alfred graduated from Mineola High School, Long Island, NY, in 1942. In January 1943, he joined the Army Air Force and served in Italy during World War II. He married Gladys in 1946 and obtained his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1949.
Alfred fell in love with diesel engines early in his engineering career. In the mid-1930s, his Uncle Clarence had installed a diesel engine in an Isotta-Frashini limousine and given Alfred and his father a ride. This is where the seed was planted. Alfred’s entire engineering career revolved around diesel engines.
He joined Cummins in 1962 after impressing Irwin Miller with his work on several Cummins-sponsored projects while working for Battelle Memorial Labs, in Columbus, Ohio. He retired from Cummins in 1986 and consulted for AVL until retiring for good in 2001.
Alfred was a committed husband and father. He used every vacation opportunity to take his family to interesting places throughout the country, including many camping trips and visits to extended family and old friends. Although he was a quiet man, not given to making new friends easily, he was extremely dedicated to the friends that he made in various stages of his life.
Alfred is survived by his sons, Bruce (Ruth) Carey, Greenwood, Ind., Keith Carey, Indianapolis, Ind., David (Elizabeth) Carey, Greenwood, Ind., and a granddaughter, Dorothy Faye Carey, Indianapolis.
A gathering of family and friends will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday at Barkes, Weaver & Glick Funeral Home on Washington Street.
Memorial contributions may be made to IU Foundation/WFIU (Radio) or IU Foundation/WTIU (Television), Radio-Television Services, 1229 East 7th Street, Bloomington, IN 47405, or online at http://indianapublicmedia.org/support/. Please add in the memo field that the gift is in memory of Alfred.
Online condolences and special memories may be shared with the Carey family at barkesweaverglick.com.
