Albert "Curly" Voll, Jr., 89, of 66 Dalton Division Road, Dalton, died peacefully August 23,
2015, in the company of his family. Born in Pittsfield on July 8, 1926, he was the son of Albert F.
Voll and Charlotte Goerlach Voll.
Curley attended Pittsfield Public Schools, Pecks, Russell, and Pontoosuc. He graduated
from Pittsfield High School in 1944 where he excelled in track and skiing. His downhill skiing
record on the Shadow Trail in the Pittsfield State Forest remains unbroken.
Immediately after graduation, he enlisted into the United States Navy Reserves. Curly
served honorably as an aviation machinist mate 3rd Class during World War II. Curley went
through instrument training school at NAS Atlanta, Georgia, where he tested and repaired the TBF's, AKA torpedo bombers Avengers, Vought F4U Corsairs, FM 2 & 4 Wildcats and Hellcats
until his discharge in 1946. He received the World War II Victory Medal and American Area
Ribbon. He attended Sampson College in upstate New York.
When Curly returned home to The Berkshires, he worked for Halverson Tree Service which gave him time to pursue some of his favorite activities, as he was an avid outdoorsman
and athlete. He raced his motor boat up and down the eastern seaboard, went hunting and
fishing, played ice hockey for the Brass Rail, and skied.
His passion for the outdoors and physical fitness continued throughout his life. Curly
rode his mountain bike with his grown children in the mountains of Vermont and in and around the city of Montreal, as well as his old stomping ground, the Pittsfield State Forest. He ran marathons in Portland, Oregon, and completed the 1st Walt Disney Marathon at Disney World Florida in 1992. Curly canoed competitively in The Berkshires and beyond. He paddled the Susquehanna Rivers' 70 mile course for 18 consecutive years and in the Josh Billings for 20 years, with most of them in the over-70 age category. One of his most treasured paddling experiences was being able to get a permit into the wilderness of the boundary waters in Minnesota. He and three good friends, Dave Taylor, Woody Roberts, and Art Stringer spent two weeks navigating, camping, fishing, and paddling for miles and miles in this remote, highly-protected and pristine area. Curly held fond memories of skiing at the former Brodie Mountain Ski Area. He enjoyed spring skiing in the White Mountains of New Hampshire at Tuckermann's Ravine and Wildcat Mountain. He made a regular habit of and enjoyed the company of his friends at Dunkin Donuts.
On August 14, 1954, he married Judith Ann Fleming of Washington and Pittsfield.
They settled in Dalton, had four daughters, and he went to work for Western Mass Electric
Company retiring in 1995 after 38 years as a lineman and mentor.
Curly was a member of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. He was
a former member of the Connecticut Canoe Racers Association, American Ski Association, and
numerous Sportsmen's Organizations in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. He was
a member of Zion Lutheran Church.
Curly volunteered much of his time in the winter to the tri state and high school ski
meets held at the former Brodie Mountain Ski Area and Bousquet Ski Area as a course starter,
a job he enjoyed immensely despite the long hours standing in frigid conditions.
Curly used his skills as a lineman and chain saw expert to create Al Voll's Tree Service.
Curly and his kids cut down trees, hauled brush, split wood every weekend there wasn't
snow on the ground. Later on, he hired his friend, Bruce Robarge.
In the 1960s, before it was fashionable to run, Curly would have timed running events
from his Dalton home in the evenings. After supper, the neighborhood kids would arrive en
masse. A stop watch would be started in the garage, he and his kids, other kids and dogs would
embark on a measured course of hard road, sand and woods. Up the mountain, through "pricker bushes", in the summer heat, rain, wet and mud to see who could get back to the house the fastest. Some notable high school athletes in skiing, cross country and track came
to fame from his fun yet strenuous and unique outdoor activities focusing on endurance and
strength training. Curly is survived by his wife, Judith, of 61 years, his daughters, Julee Ann Voll of Dalton,
Mary Elizabeth Herder and her husband, Brad, of Pittsfield, Suzanne E. Voll and her husband,
Robert Birkby of Pittsfield and Patricia K. Voll of Pittsfield, and one grandson, Andrew Francis
Voll of Dalton whom he helped raise. He is also survived by several cousins, Kathryn Goerlach
of Pittsfield, Rosemary Martell of Greenfield, and Charles Goerlach of Arizona.

FUNERAL NOTICE:
Calling hours for Albert F. "Curly" Voll, Jr., will be today (Tuesday) from 4:00 to 7:00
p.m., at DERY FUNERAL HOME.
A memorial service will be held Wednesday, August 26, at 12:00 Noon at DERY FUNERAL
HOME with Rev. Charles F. Young, Chaplain with HospiceCare in The Berkshires, officiating.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to HospiceCare in the Berkshires.
The family would like to extend a huge, sincere thank you to the numerous health care
workers, providers, and behavioral personnel from Unit 3 at Hillcrest Commons that made
Curly's life more enjoyable. This appreciation is extended those staff in laundry, housekeeping, and kitchen for their empathy and kind words every day.

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