Allen C. Bigelow "Al"

Get a cup of coffee and put your feet up; there is a lot to say about Al Bigelow.

Allen C. "Al" Bigelow, 73, departed this life suddenly and unexpectedly on July 21, 2025. For the past 12 years, Al called Duanesburg home; before that, he resided in Colonie and briefly in Texas. He was predeceased by his parents, Harold "Hap" Bigelow and Betty Bigelow Ryan, his sister, Linda Stocklas, and a beloved aunt, Mae Flynn. His children survive him, Janice Valentine of Fleming Island, FL, Wayne Orden of Schenectady, and Jennifer Martin (Aaron) of Annandale, VA. Also surviving are his grandchildren, Christopher (Eileen), Giovana, and Lauren Tangredi, Robert Poccia, and Casey, Olivia and Sebastian Martin; his sisters, Gail Bigelow of Carlisle, PA, Deborah Bigelow-Saulsbery (Bruce) of Colonie and Cynthia McNerney (Thomas) of The Villages, FL, plus a host of adoring nieces and nephews, aunts, cousins, and dear friends.

We will gather to celebrate Al's life on Wednesday,August 6, 2025, 4:00 - 7:30 PM at Cook Park in the Michael J Aidala Pavilion on SharonDrive, Colonie. Come ready to share your stories and memories with all of us.

Al attended Colonie Central High School, joining the Marines in 1969 before graduation. He was a member of Pine Grove Methodist Church for over 60 years.

From an early age, Al demonstrated an affinity for all things mechanical. Throughout his life, there was grease beneath his fingernails and a shop rag close at hand. As a kid, he frequently took things apart to learn how they worked, and afterwards returned them to working order. In his teens, he built go-karts for track racing and later, cars for the drag strip. These early endeavors laid the foundation for his career in the automotive and transport industries. He was a Certified GM Master Technician and enjoyed using his excellent diagnostic and troubleshooting skills to untangle problems that vexed others. He never strayed far from things with engines, working as an auto mechanic, a tow truck driver, a heavy-duty diesel mechanic, and in trucking as an operator and company owner.

Al was a great worker, but his unique perspective on things and unorthodox, sometimes "creative" approaches made him best suited to self-employment. Combining his entrepreneurial skills and mechanical abilities, Al operated various car and truck repair shops until founding SuperTransport, a successful long-haul trucking company with a fleet of drivers and its branded equipment, which he ran for over 20 years. Not necessarily an easy boss, he was known to teach potential employees how to drive tractor-trailers and help them get their Class A CDL. He set high standards for his drivers, yet was known to help some in surprising ways. When an employee needed a vehicle but had no means to obtain one, Al got one for him and let him pay it off in installments as he worked. Al knew what it was like to be the underdog and had a soft heart. He hired and then fired one driver four times. Still, Al knew the driver needed the job to support his family, so each time the driver returned to see Al, they would work out their differences and find a way to get the driver back on the road.

Al was aware of how enriched his life was by the friendships and connections he maintained. He cared deeply about the people he collected along the way, even if sometimes it wasn't apparent. You could never predict when or where Al would turn up, but often when he came, he would sit down for a chat, making it seem like that visit was all that mattered in the world right then.

For many years, he found joy in various activities, including poker games with his crew, shooting at the West Albany Rod and Gun Club, watching movies, especially Westerns, camping, cruises, and casino visits, as well as nearly anything else where there were people to meet. All the better if it involved a bike ride, stopping at a diner, or, gosh, we've seen a trip to the Orlando landfill become a storied adventure and friend-making opportunity when Al was involved!

Family was important to Al, and he showed it in his own special way. He loved taking his kids, nieces, nephews, and neighbors to the fair, where he'd treat them to all the rides, games, and goodies their parents wouldn't allow. He spent countless hours throughout his life with Aunt Mae playing gin rummy, bantering over topics that often raised her blood pressure, helping with repairs to her home, or just hanging out. They had a special, deep connection; he was the son she never had. When he saw that his mom needed help with her rental properties in Orlando, Al dropped everything and stepped in to do what he thought was needed. The year his sister arrived in Albany with a challenging RV problem, Al spent weeks diagnosing the issue, sourcing the parts, and making it like new.

Al's generosity sometimes surprised people. For many years, Super Transport's specialty was frozen and refrigerated foods, which brought opportunities for Al to redirect large amounts of high-quality food when something had gone awry in the supply chain; food pantries, homeless shelters, and women's shelters were frequent beneficiaries of these unofficial donations, as were others who could benefit. A pallet of watermelons, frozen personal pizzas, cases of Capri Sun or Sunny D, and midnight calls about a truck full of Nestle Quick from broken pallets or rejected loads made Al a legend in neighborhoods where he shared the bounty. Al had experienced hunger, and if food was good, he did what he could to keep it from going to waste.

Al was a free spirit, happiest when he was off on an adventure. He loved to see new places, meet new people, and learn what other cultures had to offer. As an independent operator, he traveled what seems like every road in the US and many places in Canada and Mexico. For vacations, he took numerous trips abroad, including to South America and the Caribbean, most notably Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, and Aruba. He made many trips to Sturgis, Daytona, Laconia, and other locations for Bike Week events. For Al, the journey was a big part of the adventure, logging millions of miles exploring the continent.

Al loved to learn and had an encyclopedic knowledge of a wide range of topics. He soaked up information from a host of sources, was happy to learn from others and shared what he knew freely. Traditional teaching methods were not for Al, he was a hands-on figure it out for himself type of guy, and knew how to take advantage of what was before him. Frequently hauling to and from factories, Al would make friends with the guys on the loading dock, and sometimes wrangle unofficial tours to see how things were made and how places operated. That's why he could readily tell us what's really in SPAM, how they make frozen pies, share the nuances of watermelon grading, and explain more than you would ever want to know about genetically modified lab mice.

As with many truckers, Al knew roads and the landmarks as though the entire country was his hometown. Late one night, a niece called Uncle Al for help because her GPS failed on an unlit, very remote road in Connecticut. Going on nothing but the county, a vague description of her location, and one landmark, Al guided her for 30 minutes until she reached the highway, even warning her of sharp curves and other perils coming up based on her speed. During a trip to Sturgis, Al learned his sister was camping at an RV park in Utah and decided to visit her. She hadn't said what park she was at, just that they were outside Salt Lake City; nonetheless, a day or so later, he pulled up on his bike and was knocking on her RV door. Al was the original Google Maps; as soon as you mentioned you were going somewhere he would tell you the best places to stop and eat along the way, where the cheap gas was, what the local traffic patterns were, what interesting things to see along the way, what the local factories made (and if it was any good), and of course where the speed traps were.

Al was a risk-taker. Some people are said to push the limits; Al may not have known limits existed. He liked fast cars, fast trucks, and faster bikes, and even skydiving in years back. He often said he would try anything once, and was typically true to his word. Al’s retelling of his escapades was never brief, yet always colorful and captivating. Here is one "Al classic" without his full commentary...On his Harley, Al trailed a group of State Troopers in an unmarked car, matching their speeds as they flew up the Thruway. When they waved him over, they were unhappy and asked what he was doing; he explained that if they deemed it reasonable and prudent to be traveling at that speed, it must also be reasonable and prudent for him, too. No tickets were issued, but another Trooper arrived to engage Al for a while, so he couldn't continue to tail the unmarked car. Yet, once back on the road, Al made up time, possibly traveling at imprudent speeds, until he caught up with the unmarked car again, and made sure to follow them for the rest of his trip home!

If Al had an enemy, it was time. There would never be enough, even in two lifetimes, for him to do all he wanted to do and give everything he wanted to give. He packed a lot into the time he had, and continued as best he could despite suddenly losing so much of what defined him eight years ago when his stroke occurred.

Please honor Al by being a good, loyal friend, and by truly living while you're alive - try something new, explore a place you've never been, and lend a hand when you're able. And build those deep, enduring friendships and memories that can sustain you come rain or shine.

Rest in Peace, Al. You were a larger-than-life character that we will not soon forget. Your legacy will live on through the memories you helped create and the countless stories that will be told.