Alan "Al" J. Hebert

Grand Marais

Alan “Al” J. Hebert, age 82, of Grand Marais, died Saturday, August 5, 2017 at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain.

He was born in Marblehead, Ohio on June 14, 1935 to the late Louis F. and Marguerite M. (Sebastian) Hebert.  Al moved to Grand Marais with his family as a young child when his father was named the Chief of the Coast Guard Station in Grand Marais.  As a young teen, he worked on the local fishing boats as a helper and cabin boy and gained a deep appreciation for life on Lake Superior.

As a teenager, Al enjoyed playing football with the G.M.H.S. Team, playing the drums in the G.M.H.S. Band and also enjoyed listening to and singing along with opera stars such as Luciano Pavarotti and many others and maintained that enjoyment through the years.  Al graduated from G.M.H.S. in 1953 and then enlisted in the United States Coast Guard.  Al served aboard the U.S.C.G.C. Morgenthau, and was stationed in many locations such as Alaska, Iceland, Greenland, Governor’s Island, NY, and Cuba, where he was an instructor for Damage Control classes to the U.S. Navy stationed at Guantanamo Bay. He was honorably discharged as DCC (Damage Controlman Chief Petty Officer) on July 01, 1974, with over twenty years of service.

Al was awarded National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal Award -3, Arctic Service Medal, Sea Service Medal, and Expert Pistol Medal and also completed several available educational courses through the U.S.C.G.

After leaving the U.S.C.G. Al returned to and settled in Grand Marais and started his own “House Doctor” home repair business and was also the Charter Boat Captain of his boat - the “Maggie Mae”.  Al has always enjoyed following the Detroit Lions and rarely missed a Detroit Tigers game. He was also an avid deer hunter and was trained to score deer.  He was a member of the Grand Marais Sportsmans Club, the DAV, the American Legion, the NRA, and a member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church.

Al is survived by his twin sisters - Rosemary (Gene) Duranseau of Grand Marais, MI and Suzanne (Jim) Trump of Frankenmuth, MI; his sister-in-law, Eva Hebert (Thomas J. Hebert), of St. Petersburg Beach, FL, and many beloved nieces and nephews.  He was preceded in death by his parents: Louis and Marguerite Hebert; brothers - Thomas J. Hebert and Louis F. Hebert, and nephews Robert L. Gardner and Steven Lee.

A memorial mass will be held at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Grand Marais on Friday, September 22, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. Interment will be at the Holy Rosary Cemetery where the American Legion and Vietnam Veterans Honor Guard will conduct military honors.  Memorials in Al’s name may be made to the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center “OGJVAMC Recreational Center”.