Tributes

Albon “Al” Avila Dutra passed away in the arms of Jesus on April 27th after living a full life. He was 92 years old. Al was preceded in death by his parents Luis and Maria Dutra; his son, Rick Dutra; and siblings, Mary Borba, Elmer Dutra and Russell Dutra. He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Betty Dutra; his daughter, Teri (Robert) Reyes; daughter-in-law, Gracie Dutra; grandchildren, Dominic, Brandon (Yvonne) Dutra, Justin (Evelyn) Reyes and Jenessa (Alex) Cruz; eight great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. Al was born on Oct. 11, 1927 in Gustine, CA and attended schools in Hilmar, CA. Al was a hard worker all his life, sometimes working more than one job. Growing up, he worked on his parents dairy until he took a truck driving job at Peterson Manufacturing Co. He worked there for 33 years until his retirement in 1990. Al also worked for the Turlock Police Dept. for 16 years, both as a reserve police officer and captain for 3 of those years. He always enjoyed leading the Turlock parades in uniform on the police motorcycle. Al also worked as a security guard at Stanislaus State for a short time. Among his favorite hobbies, Al owned a Harley Motorcycle, which he enjoyed giving rides on and spinning donuts, stirring up the dust with a smile on his face. Al had a love of music all his life, and that was country music. He started playing guitar at an early age and joined a band called the Gullarte Brothers, often playing at local Festas. He also liked to go camping, fishing, dance, and have fun joking around. Al often said, “Your best drivers are your fast drivers,” as he would peel out at the corner of the street when he left home, only to here Betty look at him and yell, “AL.” You could always see his smiling eyes in the rear view mirror; he got a kick out of that. He would make his own wine every now and then - the Protagee diesel. He enjoyed working on cars and anything mechanical. He loved the challenge of finding the problem and fixing it. Most of all, Al loved his family and was always there to lend a helping hand to them and others as well. We were all blessed to have you in our lives as a great example of a Husband, Father, Uncle, Grandpa and Friend. We all love you and will miss you dearly until we see your smiling face again.

Tributes

Albon "Al" Avila Dutra

October 11, 1927 - April 27, 2020