Submitted by the family
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Allan Alfred Ovrom, Jr. on July 8, 2026, at the age of 89, after a wonderful life of service, family, and love. Al, or Skip, to his beloved family and friends, was a very thoughtful and supportive person to anyone who spent time with him and he will be missed.
Born into a Navy family on June 15, 1937, at Mercy Hospital in San Diego, Al spent much of his childhood as a Navy brat moving back and forth across the country before landing in Coronado for his freshman year of high school. Al graduated from CHS in 1955, having met the love of his life and future wife, Susan Seymour Johnson, and, following in his father’s footsteps, earned an appointment to the U. S. Naval Academy, class of 1959. At the Academy, Al played football, was company commander (first year) and received a Bachelor of Science. Upon graduation, Al returned to Coronado and he and Susie were married on December 28, 1960.
Upon graduating from the Academy, Al was stationed on the USS Hull (DD-945) and then on the commissioning crew of the USS Joseph Strauss (DDG-16), both as Chief Engineer. After that, the Navy sent him to MIT, where he earned a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Naval Engineer degrees, then to Hawaii, the Bay Area, and Washington DC. His twenty years of active duty were spent in ship repair, ship salvage, and ship construction management.
Al and Susie’s oldest son, Allan A III, was born in New Jersey, where Al’s first two ships were based; their second son, John Richard, arrived in Boston while his father was taking an exam at MIT; and their beautiful daughter, Kathleen Elizabeth (Kacky), came along in Oahu, where she joined her brothers and cousins on the Honolulu beaches for a double assignment. It’s no wonder that all three kids remain most comfortable in bare feet, board shorts and a pareo to this day.
Following retirement from the Navy, in 1979, Al and Susie settled their family back in Coronado, where both his and Susie’s parents still lived, and Al lent his considerable expertise to Southwest Marine, a military repair shipyard over the bridge, for the next dozen or so years.
After retiring from his second career in shipbuilding, Al helped start a local family business, OSSO Construction, and worked with his son for another 15 years.
Valuing public service as he did, Al immersed himself in the Coronado community and, eventually, entered local politics. Al sat on the CUSD School Board (1986–1994), Planning Commission (1994–1996), and the City Council (1996–2000 and 2006-2014); and his considerable involvement in our beautiful hometown changed the landscape of Coronado as he helped rebuild our school and city buildings as well as attain local city ownership of our hospital.
In addition to his service to the City of Coronado, he also served as a member of many committees, including the City’s Tunnel Commission, the School District’s Facilities Oversight Committee, and the San Diego Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Advisory Council. Al served on Sharp Coronado Hospital and Coronado Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, was the Treasurer of his church and a member of the Coronado Historical Association, Chamber of Commerce, and Main Street.
Al was an active member of Rotary for over 35 years, again following his father’s example, becoming the second Ovrom to serve as Coronado Rotary President, in 2008-09.
Whether in service to the United States of America, the City of Coronado, Service clubs or his family, Al was respected for his thoughtful approach, integrity, and making a meaningful difference.
Al and Susie spent many years dancing with friends and family at Crown Club, entertaining in their home and raising an ever-growing family. Al is survived by his wife, Susie, children: Allan, John, and Kacky, daughter-in-law, Dawn, grandchildren: Andrew, Matthew, Shelby, Sidney, Elena, and Jack, and great-granddaughters: Harper and Sophie. Al’s love of country, family and friends remained his top priority. He lived a full and giving life to the end and was a living example of the Rotary motto “service above self”; he will be deeply missed.
Al was never the person who said the most or spoke the loudest, but when he did offer up his thoughts, he was always worth listening to.
There will be a Celebration of Life for Al on Saturday, August 29 at 2 pm at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. All are welcome.
We miss you, dear husband, Dad, Granddad, and Great-Granddad.
Submitted by the family
