Obituary: Albert Kalen, 90

Albert Kalen, age 90, of Atlanta died Thursday, March 5, 2015.

Throughout his life, he was committed to community service, from helping underprivileged children who had lost their fathers, to driving seniors around, to volunteering at the Atlanta Olympics, and most recently to helping others at his senior living facility with their technology needs. A World War II veteran who then received an engineering degree from Drexel University, he became an expert in the field of quality assurance and came to Atlanta in 1976 to work with the construction of MARTA. Once he retired, he took up his hobbies with the same commitment toward excellence he exhibited in his career and became an avid tennis player and then at 70 an oil painter until he became legally blind. Though legally blind and deaf, he nevertheless continued until his passing to work continuously with his computers and other technological aids, read books, stay abreast of the news, create DVDs for others, and even craft cards for his friends and family.

He was a devoted husband, father, father-in-law and grandfather who worked tirelessly to create a loving family environment. He was a member of Congregation Etz Chaim and Congregation B’nai Torah.

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Survivors include his son and daughter-in-law, Sam Kalen and Karen Ventura-Kalen of Laramie, Wyo.; daughter and son-in-law Eleanor and David Hochberg of Marietta; and grandsons Joshua Kalen of Laramie and Martin Hochberg of San Francisco. Mr. Kalen was preceded in death by his wife, Esther Resnick Kalen, of blessed memory.

Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Library Service for the Blind, www.loc.gov/nls. A graveside service will be held Sunday, March 8, at 11:30 a.m. at Arlington Memorial Park with Rabbi Shalom Lewis officiating. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.