Alvan Theodore Bazer Obituary
On Saturday, June 26, 2021, Alvan T. Bazer, loving husband and father passed away at the age of 93.
Al was born on May 6, 1928 in Revere, MA, to Maurice and Esther Bazer. On September 23, 1956, he married Eva Nell (Cross) Bazer. They raised three children, son Steve Bazer, and two daughters, Valerie Losco and Andrea Ayres. They remained lovingly and happily married for over 64 years until his passing.
Al was a WWII veteran, enlisting in the US Navy in 1944 after high school graduation. He saw combat against the Imperial Japanese Navy while serving aboard an aircraft carrier as a dive bomber’s tail gunner. After WWII ended, he remained a member of the US Navy for another 33 years, and was also a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
Using WWII Veteran’s benefits, he attended the University of Massachusetts (Class of 1951), and earned a degree in Electrical Engineering. While attending UMass, he was a member of their varsity football team.
After a brief career as an electrical engineer at GE, Al attended flight training at NAS Pensacola, and earned a commission as a Naval Officer. He went on to have a very successful Naval Career, rising to the rank of US Navy Captain (O-6), and in 1967 commanded a squadron of one of the Navy’s premier fighters, the F-8 Crusader. His fellow fighter pilots knew him as “Black Al”.
In 1959, he began a concurrent career as the Chief Experimental Test Pilot at the FAA Tech Center (NAFEC) in Atlantic City, where he was responsible for the design, development and testing of various aviation systems, including the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), Precision Runway Monitor System (PRM), Aircraft Wake Vortex research, Aircraft Runway Hydroplaning research, and several new Navigation Systems. His impressive contributions to aviation safety left the world of air travel a much safer place. He retired in 1993.
Al was predeceased by his parents, Maurice and Esther Bazer, his sister Lillian Grobman, and his brothers Arthur Bazer and George Bazer.
He is survived by his wife Eva (Cross) Bazer, his three children, Steve (Stephanie) Bazer, Valerie Losco, and Andrea (Grae) Ayres, his sister Judy Yantosca, and his five grandchildren, John Losco, Julie Losco Simon (Eli), Marie Bazer, Karen Bazer, and Alexis Bazer.
Al was a faithful member of the congregation of Temple Judea, in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
