Albert J. Currier Obituary (1953 - 2020)

Hollis- Albert J. Currier, 67, of Adirondack Dr. died on Friday, November 6, 2020 at Maine Medical Center following a courageous battle with cancer. His loving family was by his side. Al was born in Portland, Maine on September 10, 1953 the son of the late Charles A., and Virginia M. (Downs) Currier. He attended local schools and graduated from Portland High School in the class of 1972. On June 26, 1981, Al married the love of his life Eileen C. Wells at St. Peter's Church in Portland. Al started his career in the hospitality industry at the Village Cafe Restaurant in Portland at a very young age starting as a dishwasher, working his way up through the ranks to the position of Sous Chef, which spiked his interest in the industry. After learning the ropes of the industry he was asked to help open Amato's Restaurant in Windham in 1975, which inspired him to open his own restaurant in Portland with his loving wife, in 1982 Currier's Restaurant opened , which ran for seven years and introduced him to a lot of his longtime friends and associates as well as giving him the insight he never had in the hospitality industry. After sadly closing Currier's, he became the executive chef at Anjon's in Scarborough. After deciding it was time for a change of scenery Al moved onto working as Head Sous Chef at Verrillo's Restaurant and Convention Center. Since the closure of Verrillo's he found himself in the middle of the Spring Harbor Hospital Family in Portland holding the position of Rounds Cook for fifteen years until his illness forced him into an unwanted early retirement. His family commented that Al had a very strong work ethic, won several awards and never missed an unnecessary day of work. In his spare time, Al was passionate about music and had a huge collection, more than 5,000, CD's. He loved all types of music, going to concerts and traveling with his loved ones and loved his jaguar cars. He enjoyed trips to Cape Cod, Sunday drives and finding a bargain. With his son, they built the house they call home and there was nothing that Al couldn't fix when needed. His passion and work ethic shined through in everything he did. Al showed his enthusiasm for culinary arts not just his professional life but his personal life as well, by hosting get togethers where he always made sure that the people around him were having a good time. His greatest love was the time he spent surrounded by his family especially his two grandsons, that helped aid through his fight, making him a greater fighter during his cancer treatments. Al will be remembered as witty, passionate, loving, caring, with a great sense of humor. He made friends easily and impacted everyone in his life in one way or another. Al is survived by his wife of 39 years, Eileen Currier of Hollis; a son, Charles "Chip" and his wife Elizabeth Currier of Hollis; two grandsons, Memphis James and Booker Phoenix Currier of Hollis: two brothers, Charles and his wife Carol Currier Jr. of Standish, and John and his wife Vicki Currier of Saco; four sisters, Susie and her husband Scott Scharf of Portland, Deborah Currier and her partner Carol Jensen of Biddeford, Charlena and her husband John Viet of Scarborough, Linda Hodgkins of Hollis; many nieces and nephews. Visiting hours celebrating Al's life will be held on Thursday, November 12, 2020 from 4:00pm to 7:00pm at the Conroy-Tully Walker South Portland Chapel, 1024 Broadway. Following state mandates, and to keep all in attendance safe, face masks are required. Funeral services will be private. To view Al's memorial page, or to share an online condolence, please visit www.ConroyTullyWalker.com Those who wish may make contributions in Al's memory to: The Dempsey Center, 778 Main Street, South Portland, ME 04106