Local businessman Steve Albers, an athlete and outdoorsman who gave to community causes, has died after being critically injured in a bike ride at Mount Rainier.
Albers, who was 60, died Friday night at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
“Steve’s probably the most generous and wonderful person you’d ever meet,” said his longtime friend Ray Tennison, another Tacoma businessman. “He saw himself as part of the community and that he should give back.”
Albers was the board chairman for the Pierce County Library System and a Tacoma Goodwill board member. He also had been a board member for United Way of Pierce County and belonged to several leadership organizations.
Albers was the president of Tacoma-based insurance company Albers & Co., which he founded in 1985. He lived in Lakewood with his wife, Donna.
Tennison said a celebration of Albers’ life will take place at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Fircrest Golf Club.
Albers was injured Thursday during the Ramrod, an annual event in which hundreds of riders attempt to make it around the mountain in one day.
Ride director George Thornton said Friday that Albers was alone at the time of the accident.
“They don’t know exactly what happened,” Tennison said. “They know he hit his head.”
The Ramrod, which stands for Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day, is a 152-mile bicycle ride that begins and ends in Enumclaw and winds through Eatonville and Ashford and over Cayuse Pass.
Albers graduated from Lakes High School, attended Washington State University and earned a business degree from the University of Puget Sound.
In addition to his wife, Albers’ survivors include a son and daughter from a previous marriage, Chris and Ashley, both of San Diego. His parents, Homer and Marcene, live in Gig Harbor. Albers also is survived by four brothers, Jeff, Bill, Randy and Joe, all of Pierce County.
Steve Albers became a grandparent a few months ago. Chris and Tiffany Albers are the parents of a 4-month-old son, Brayden.
A few years ago, Steve and Donna Albers were co-chairs of the annual fundraising campaign for United Way of Pierce County. Having developed his own business, Albers “had great insight into the community,” said Rick Allen, president of United Way of Pierce County.
“They were just completely committed to the community in the first place,” Allen said. “It’s a great loss to the community.”
Terry Hayes, president and chief executive officer of Tacoma Goodwill, said Albers “was one of the most community-minded people I think I’ve ever met.”
“He was one of the happiest people you’d ever meet,” Hayes said. “I think he knew he was very blessed and he wanted to give back to the community.”
Albers played golf, climbed Mount Rainier several times, and had been an avid bicyclist for several years.
“Steve’s had only one speed, and it’s wide-open,” Tennison said. “He was always setting challenging goals for himself.”
