Alfred Virgil Cadinha passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 22, 2024 at his home in Richland, Washington, in the presence of his loving wife Suzy, following a two-year battle with stomach cancer. He fought hard and defied the odds, living his life to the fullest. As Al fought his illness, Suzy joined him for every treatment, doctor’s appointment, and spent many hours in the hospital. She made sure he made his trip of a lifetime to Hawaii to visit Pearl Harbor and sit by the ocean. When Al passed away, Suzy was holding his hand.

Al was born on April 23, 1955, to Alfred and Bernice Cadinha in Oakland, California. He was affectionately known by his siblings as ‘brown and round’ and Alfonso. Al spent his early years with his family fixing and building cars, racing motorcycles, and talking and laughing over a good cup of “coff” and some linguica.

Al was a hard worker, starting early on when he worked with his uncles in the landscaping business. He was always a landscaper at heart and made sure all of his children knew how to use a pick. He later worked for Pacific Gas and Electric for over 35 years, starting out sweeping garage floors and working his way up to heavy equipment mechanic. There was not a piece of equipment he could not fix, from pick-ups and bucket trucks to trail kings and lattice cranes (his personal favorite). Al was specifically requested for many specialty projects during his career due to his extraordinary expertise and calm demeanor under pressure. He opened his own automotive and RV repair business, High Sierra, which grew into a booming business in the pine trees of El Dorado County, California. Later Al and his son Ashlin would build a thriving RV business in Long Beach, Washington, doing everything from replacing poopers to creating beautiful custom RVs. Al then went to work at Camping World in Pasco, Washington, where he enjoyed helping people find their dream RV to make memories in. He was loved by his customers and coworkers who kept his desk just as he left it with the hopes he might return.

Al loved spending time outdoors and near water. One favorite place was Sly Park Lake in Pollock Pines, where he would camp with his family and ride a single ski whenever the water was glass. He loved traveling and crabbing along the Oregon and Washington coasts and always will be the captain of the crab boat. He pretended to know how to fish, but honestly rarely ever caught anything. He had a passion for motorcycles and loved taking a beat-up motorcycle and make it “cherry.” He could often be found in his garage, and if asked what he was doing he would say, “Oh, just tinkering.”

He especially loved making his home a beautiful place for friends and family to gather. His home was always open if you needed a place, a talk, a mentor, a friend or refuge. All that knew him saw him as protective, strong, kind, and reliable.

Al met Heather Moncrief in Hayward, California and they were married on July 10,1976 in Lake Tahoe. They had Tiffany, Ashlin, and Sophia, and later welcomed nieces Nicky and Jaqui as daughters into their home. They took great pride in watching all five grow and flourish.

Al met and fell madly in love with Susan Peters (Suzy). He talked of her constantly and she brought a twinkle to his eye and a smile to his face. They were married on September 21, 2020, in Touchet, Washington. Al loved the life they created together in their lovely home where they delighted in their yard with the bird feeders, twinkling lights and a peaceful patio that became a refuge. They often

broke out into dance wherever they were and spent many hours laughing together. They loved their dogs, affectionately called ‘the boys,’ Harley, Arthur and Finn.

He is survived by his wife, Suzy, and his many children and grandchildren who love him. Al was close to and proud of all his children Tiffany Rasmussen (Cyle), Ashlin Cadinha (Laura), Sophia Sorensen (Mark), Nicolette Clayton (Dan) and Jacqueline Froehlich (Jason). He loved forming relationships with his stepchildren Sarah Lee (Jon), Logan Peters (Erin) and Megan Peters (Jamal). He loved being a grandfather to his 14 grandchildren and one great-grandchild on the way. He loved each for their individual gifts, talents and quirks, and saw the best in all of them. He knew they could accomplish anything and eagerly asked for updates from the “kids” in every call and visit.

Finally, he is survived by sisters Carol Bade and Janice McBee (Victor) as well as his brother Kevin Cadinha (Linda), and all their children and grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his parents Alfred Ropuse Cadinha and Bernice Grace Telles, and his sister Pamela Kabrich-Gebro, who he missed deeply.

Al will be laid to rest in Sunset Gardens Cemetery in Richland, Washington. A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, August 29th from 2:00-5:00 pm at the Event Center at Sunset Gardens located at 915 Bypass Highway, Bldg I Richland, Washington 99352. All are welcome to attend.