Albert Ponte

Albert Ponte of Cookeville died on Saturday, October 10, 2015 of complications from a long-term illness. The second son of Joseph Gonsalves Ponte and Adelaide Santos Ponte, Al was born in 1929 in New Bedford, MA, the old whaling city. From early childhood, he had a great sense of history and love for the sea. He played ice hockey with the kids on the streets, football and baseball in the vacant lots. He graduated from New Bedford High School and was known as one of the "smart kids". After attending U Mass for two years, he transferred to the University of California, Berkley, the school which he thought had the best physics department in the country. After graduation with honors, he entered graduate school at Carnegie Tech, and before graduation from Carnegie, was called into the army during the Korean War. Al had been in ROTC during high school and college, and went into the Army Signal Corps as a Second Lieutenant. During his Army stint, he was deployed to Arizona where he was an official monitor for an atomic bomb test. He never forgot the power and possible destruction of this experience. Another assignment was to the new Army Guided Missile School at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama– and there he found the beginnings of his life-long career and passion – guided missiles and radar. Also it was there that he met a young redheaded librarian from Cookeville, TN named Rosemary Pedigo. Al and Rosemary were married after a five-month courtship, but at the tender ages of 23 and 21, they both knew it was for life. They not only loved each other, but both loved the other's parents and family – and both sets of parents loved each other – the makings for a happy family – the stuff that a long and peaceful relationship is made of. After leaving the Army as a 1st Lieutenant in early 1955, Al worked for Hughes Aircraft for a year, then was employed by Raytheon Co. in Wayland, MA, where he stayed until his retirement in 1992. Raytheon is an international engineering and electronics development company, and employment there led to travel and work internationally. During the last period of his 35-year career with Raytheon, Al was responsible for the Tartar Missile Program. Through Raytheon, Al worked with the US Navy, and in turn with most of our allied Navies in Europe and Asia. He made many life-long friends around the world, and was always highly respected for his personal and professional integrity and honesty. Al and Rosemary had two children, Marta and Brian. He enjoyed his role as a father and spent most of his limited spare time in activities with them. He particularly loved to ski with them, and on countless weekends over their youth, arose before dawn and returned after dark from Vermont or New Hampshire with two sleepy kids in the car, exhausted from a hard day on the slopes of snow. Al was a very gentle father but at the same time stern in that he expected a lot from his children – and he got it – they both grew up to be wonderful, honest, and loving adults. Marta went to the University of Chicago, where she met her husband, David Clark, and Brian went to University of California. He married Melissa Nathan, and years later, after their divorce, married Kimberly Skinner. Marta has three children and Brian has four. They are in order: Dr. Elena Clark, Benedict Clark (Anna), Forrest Clark (Ashley), Saundra Ponte Deppa (Chris), Talya Ponte, Maya Ponte, and Gemma Ponte. Al was extraordinarily fond and proud of all of his children and grandchildren. He had a wry, joking, teasing relationship with all of them as well as with Brian. In addition to being very dedicated to his career, Al was a very civic minded man. He served on the board of many organizations over the years: among them, President of Framingham, MA Community Concerts Association; member of the founding Board of the New England Quilt Museum, Lowell, MA; Board of the Santa Fe (NM) Desert Chorale; President of the Santa Fe Council of International Relations. Al discovered the world of classical music as a young teenager. Out of school on a sick day, he turned on the radio out of boredom, and heard for the first time a rush of gorgeous sound being emitted. It was the first day of a life-long love affair. Still in their early to mid-twenties when they moved to Boston, he and Rosemary started attending the newly formed Boston Opera Company performances. Another love-affair was born - soon followed by a love for ballet. Al not only traveled in his work, but he and Rosemary traveled widely just for the pleasure of seeing the world. Wherever they went, they always looked for performances being given in the fine halls and opera houses. He was so happy to find that Cookeville had a very fine Symphony when he and Rosemary moved here in 2002. It made him very happy to be able to support this fine institution. After a very debilitating illness, Al died very peacefully last Saturday. Rosemary was able to keep him at home until his death, and sincerely thanks his main caregivers, Sheila Wilson, Rebecca Earley, and Joe Wilhite, as well as her assistant, Patricia Curci. Al and Rosemary had been married for almost 63 years at the time of his death, and theirs was always a loving, tender, and close relationship. She will keep his ashes in their home, and at the time of her death, hopes to have her ashes blended with his, and that they will be interred together in their family plot in Smithville. Memorial services will be held Thursday October 15 at 11 a.m. at Cookeville Chapel of Hooper, Huddleston, Horner Funeral Home, 59 N Jefferson Avenue, Cookeville. Visitation with the family will be 5 – 8 PM, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. until service time at the funeral home. Hooper-Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements (931) 526-6111.