May 11, 2021
Elbridge Lee Dunckel, 90, of Ossineke, passed away peacefully on Monday, May 3, 2021 at Turning Brook, Alpena. Elbridge was born July 13, 1930 in Manchester, Michigan to the late Orville and Marian (Smith) Dunckel.
After high school, Elbridge hitchhiked to Kansas to work the wheat harvest, as his father had done before him. He attended one year at University of Michigan, then joined the Navy, serving as a Medical Corpsman. After three years of service, he enrolled at Michigan State University where he graduated as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Elbridge practiced as a veterinarian in Alpena for several years.
He ultimately changed his career, and became an instructor at Alpena Community College, touching many lives. With a unique sense of humor and love of lecturing, he taught anatomy and the physical and biological sciences for many years. Elbridge was an active and involved member of the greater Alpena community, including founding the salmon fisheries and fish st