Elford George Astling

Elford George Astling (Al) died March 29, 2010 after a valiant fight with colon cancer. He was born in Sycamore, Illinois on August 13, 1937 to Clifford Van and Eleanor Mae Peterson Astling who both preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife, Priscilla Crisp Astling; his sons David (Denver, CO), Mark (Lisa) (Centerville, UT), and Stephen (Jenny) (Boise, ID); his sister Loretta (Edward) Gut (Morton Grove, IL), and brother Kenneth (Judy) (Cape Coral, FL); his grandsons Spencer, Dallin, and James; and his nieces and nephews.

Al graduated from Sycamore High School (IL) where he began his love of the study of weather in the junior science fair, which he won by constructing a recording thermometer. He played the trombone in the high school band and in their brass ensemble.

After earning a B.S. degree at the University of Utah, he returned to the Midwest to earn a Masters and Ph.D. in meteorology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Al taught at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and the University of Utah. He recently retired after more than 25 years at the West Desert Test Center, Department of the Army, as a research meteorologist, where he focused on data analysis and numerical weather prediction. He was a proud member of the American Meteorological Society, to which any donations may be directed, especially to the U of U student branch or the American Geophysical Union.

Al enjoyed scouting, hiking, camping, sailing, spending time with his family, a bowl of rice pudding and Garrison Kellior.

Funeral services will be held at Christ United Methodist Church, 2375 E. 3300 S. on Friday, April 2, 2010 at 3:00 pm. Burial will be later in Sycamore, Illinois. Arrangements by Holbrook Mortuary.

Special thanks to Dr. Jonathan Whisenant, Dr. Kent DiFiore of the Utah Cancer Specialists, Huntsman Cancer Institute, and the dedicated staff at CareSource Home Health and Hospice. Everyone should schedule screening colonoscopies, since early detection makes colon cancer curable.