Albert Tovar, 87, of Andrews, passed away Wednesday, July 22, 2020, at Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital, Murphy.
Albert was the son of Frank and Carmen Tovar, born Aug. 19, 1932, in Los Angeles, Calif., and grew up in Oakland, Calif.
Albert served in the United States Air Force and then attended University of Colorado at Boulder, where he met his future wife, Rosalind Dooly.
Upon completion of his studies, Albert was employed by Varian Associates and lived in San Jose, Calif. He remained with Varian until his retirement. Varian Associates is a major manufacturer of radiation linear acceleration custom scientific equipment for both imaging and oncology purposes. Albert became one of the company’s installation managers for the larger custom machines, which meant that he and Rosalind were residents of many cities across the United States and a number of nations in Europe.
From many visits with Rosalind’s brother, Philip, and enjoying the mountains and valleys here, Albert and Rosalind bought a home in Andrews in 2003. They traveled to Andrews intermittently over the years until 2019, when they left California for good. Early on, they became close friends with their neighbor, Gary Hardesty of Andrews.
Albert enjoyed buying old cars and restoring them. He was of the Catholic faith.
Albert is survived by his wife, Rosalind Dooly Tovar; one sister, Nellie Delafiganiere of Citrus Hill, Calif.; and several nieces and nephews in California.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
Ivie Funeral Home, Andrews, is in charge of arrangements.
An online guest register is available at iviefuneralhome.com.