Alfred James Deist

Alfred James Deist passed away peacefully on April 30, 2024 in Cheyenne, WY. He was born September 13, 1938 in Ogallala, NE to BJ and Martha (Wilson) Deist. He was brother to Marvin and Beverly. “Jim” (as he was known in NE) grew up in Kearney. After high school he attended Kearney State College and joined the Nebraska National Guard where he proudly served for 10 years. In September of 1960, Jim married his high school sweetheart, Laura (Altmaier) and they gave life to four children,- Pamela, Jodie, Jeff, and Eric. Jim would go on to build a career with the Union Pacific Railroad. He began on the Section Gangs and worked his way to Roadmaster and eventually Conductor. His promotion to Roadmaster, took his family to Rawlins, WY and earned him a name change to “Al” or “Little Man with the Big Voice” on the radios. In Rawlins, Al and Laura welcomed their fifth child, Sara Beth. Due to health reasons, he took an early retirement from the rail road, but he didn’t slow down. Family was his life. He enjoyed following and talking up the exploits of all their children and grandchildren. He enjoyed coaching, mentoring, and if you wanted to learn, he would teach based on a foundation of his “three famous words”- priorities, experience, and common sense. 

Al is preceded in death by daughter Pamela, parents, brother, father and mother-in-law,  brother-in-laws, and sister-in-laws. He is survived by his wife Laura and their children, son-in-law and daughter-in-laws, grandchildren, great granddaughters, sister, sister-in-law, many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, the Deist family kindly requests random acts of kindness or donations to Davis Hospice of Cheyenne (6000 Sycamore Rd. Cheyenne, WY 82009). St. Joseph’s Children’s Home of WY (St. Joseph's Children's Home - Diocese of Cheyenne (thankyou4caring.org), or the Salvation Army (Donate to The Salvation Army (salvationarmyusa.org).