Alvin Isaac Black

Alvin Isaac Black

On July 11, 2018, Alvin Isaac Black, 69, passed away while in the Kootenai Hospital in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Alvin had been living with his son in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, for the past three years. Alvin died of a heart attack brought on by a blood clot. Alvin was in the hospital ICU recovering from a major heart attack which occurred on July 7, 2018.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. PDT Saturday, July 21, 2018 in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, in the LDS chapel located at 6568 Alderson Lane.

There will be a graveside service in Alvin’s hometown of Colorado City, Ariz. at 1 p.m. MDT the following Monday, July 23, 2018 at the Isaac Carling Memorial park located at 500 Township Ave.

Alvin was born Sept. 29, 1949, in Short Creek, Ariz., to Leonard Black and Larna Johnson Black. Alvin was the fifth child of Larna Johnson Black.

Life in Short Creek in 1949 was tough. The community was small but very close. Alvin grew up with the love and support of family around him. In 1953, when Alvin was four years old, the state of Arizona, because of the religious beliefs of the community, put the fathers in prison and took the children and their mothers by bus to Phoenix. The next few years Alvin moved around with his mother, living in Phoenix, Ariz., then Kingman, Ariz., then Snowflake, Ariz., then to Kanab, Utah, and finally back to Short Creek.

In August of 1969 Alvin was drafted into the Army. Alvin was a peace loving man and did not approve of war but he also had a strong sense of duty and did what he was asked to do to the best of his ability and without complaint.

During his military service Alvin attained the rank of SP4 and received the following medals: National Defense Service Medal, Air Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Army commendation Medal, and Vietnam Campaign medal. He also had a rifle commendation medal from his basic training.

Alvin was very proud of his military accomplishments and loved to show and tell anyone who would listen about “his” YO-3A (the spotter plane from Vietnam).

He was honorably discharged on June 16, 1971 and went back to Short Creek, to his bride Alvera, whom Alvin hadn’t seen for a year. They started a family and Alvin began looking for work.

Alvin worked on a farm, sheared sheep, and worked in a machine shop as a machinist. Alvin was a professional certified mechanic. Alvin worked 12 years as an Electronics Engineer.

In 1974 Alvin attended Dixie College in St. George, Utah, and earned his mechanics certifications.

Alvin attended Southern Utah College in Cedar City, Utah, and earned a teaching degree in industrial arts.

He loved to tinker with electronic items and had a large collection of dead electronic things he was going to fix.

Alvin is preceded in death by his father Leonard Black, his mother Larna Johnson, and his eldest brother Martin Leonard Black.

Alvin is survived by his siblings: Luella Barlow of Colorado City, Ariz., Louise Cunningham of Hurricane, Utah, Emmaline Nolan of Hurricane, Utah, Vernon Black of Colorado City, Ariz., Rebecca Burnham of Hildale, Utah, Julie Roundy of Hildale, Utah, Gary Black of Sandy, Utah, Paul Black of Colorado City, Ariz., and Kathleen Fischer of Colorado City, Ariz.

He also is survived by his children: Isaac Sterling Black of Bonners Ferry, Ruth Johnson of Bonners Ferry, Calvin Lee Black of Hurricane, Utah, James Edwin Black of Denver, Colo., Emma Barlow of Hurricane, Utah, Larna Johnson of Colorado City, Ariz., Vergil Spencer Black of Post Falls, Idaho, Joseph Morley Black of Post Falls, Dan Charles Black of Post Falls, Rex Clifford Black of Spokane Valley, Wash; 40 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; and his ex-wife whom he never stopped loving, Alvera Jessop.