Albert Lowery Gaines

Al was born in Muskogee, OK on June 3, 1945, to the late Dorothy (Conley) and Albert Lowery Gaines, Sr. They moved to Alabama, Texas, Missouri, Oak Ridge, TN and settled in Signal Mountain, TN. Al graduated from Chattanooga High School and went to the University of Chattanooga where he was a member of ROTC and the AEPi fraternity.

After graduating the University of Chattanooga in 1969 with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Al joined the Army where he served in Kentucky, Massachusetts, Germany, and Virginia. He worked in Military Intelligence and rose to the rank of First Lieutenant. In 1974, he joined IBM and moved back to Chattanooga, TN. He worked as a systems engineer and moved to Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina. He worked with the team to create the backbone for large computing projects including the mainframe system for the Tennessee Valley Authority. When he considered retiring, IBM asked him to stay because of his experience on older programming languages to help facilitate the Y2K transition. He continued working remotely for IBM until he retired.

In North Carolina, Al met his third wife, Jean (Bouma) and married in 1994. They moved to New Jersey where he enjoyed gardening, reading theology books, their dogs, being close to their grandchildren (he was very excited about their first great-grandchild who is expected in 2024), the beauty of Sussex County, NJ, and watching the Atlanta Braves. He became a devout Christian and an active member of the Reform Baptist Church of Lafayette. He enjoyed uploading the sermons to SermonAudio.com and running the sound system of the services every week until he was no longer able.

Al is survived by his wife, Jean (Bouma); his aunt: Alta Mae Summerville; his brothers: John (Karen), Richard (Barbara), and Bill (Betty); his children: Koren (Herb), Jodi Burger, and Avery (Courtney) Mulder; his grandchildren: Heidi, Paul, Lindsay (Hunter), Ethan (fiancé Bri), Emily, Kenzie, and Reagan; and many nieces and nephews.

A burial service will be Friday, December 8, at 10 am at Frankford Plains Cemetery, 100 Plains Rd, Augusta, NJ 07822.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Reform Baptist Church of Lafayette, 28 Meadows Rd, Lafayette, NJ 07848.