Alan "Arizona" Joseph

Oesterreicher

Alan Joseph Oesterreicher, known to so many simply as “AZ,” was born April 13, 1944, in Durand, Wisconsin, to Antone Oesterreicher and Glorus Fox. He passed away on September 29, 2026, leaving behind a family who loved him beyond measure and enough stories to keep them laughing for generations.

AZ was a man who genuinely cared about people and was always willing to lend a hand, share what he knew, or find a way to help. But nothing mattered more to him than his family. He was fiercely dedicated to them, protective of them, enormously proud of them, and worked hard throughout his life to provide for the people he loved.

That determination extended to bettering himself. In midlife, AZ returned to school, attending business school and community college to continue his education and create better opportunities for himself and his family. He showed by example that it is never too late to learn something new or work toward something better.

He was a car guy through and through. He loved drag racing his ’69 Camaro, working in his shop, building and fixing things, and occasionally creating solutions that left his family wondering whether they were brilliant, completely ridiculous, or somehow both. He owned and operated dump trucks, knew his way around an engine, and passed that knowledge—and more than a little stubbornness—down to his family.

AZ also loved being outdoors. Some of his family’s favorite memories were made boating, fishing, riding dirt bikes and four-wheelers, working on projects together, and simply being wherever he was. He taught his children about cars and tools, how to work hard, how to figure things out, and sometimes how not to do something after watching him try it first.

He was funny, protective, stubborn, resourceful, caring, and completely and unapologetically himself.

AZ leaves behind his wife, Julie Anne Oesterreicher; his daughter, Tammy Lyn Johnson, and her husband, Dave J. Johnson; his son, Anthony Oesterreicher; his granddaughter, Sammantha Oesterreicher; and his sisters, Ann Parker and Mary Stewart.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Antone Oesterreicher and Glorus Fox, and his brothers, John, Lyle, and Lee Oesterreicher.

One of the little signs he gave Tammy says:

“I smile because you’re my daughter. I laugh because there’s nothing you can do about it.”

It made her laugh when he gave it to her. Today, those words are priceless.

AZ left his mark in the people he helped, the family he devoted himself to, the things he taught them, the things he built and repaired, and the stories that will continue to be told.

In the spirit of the beautiful words of Afterglow, chosen by his family in his memory, they don’t want AZ remembered only with sadness. He would want the stories told. He would want the laughter. He would want everyone remembering the good times, the ridiculous times, and probably more than a few things that shouldn’t be repeated in polite company.

And they will.

A traditional funeral could never quite capture AZ, so his family will celebrate his life at one of his favorite places—his favorite fishing hole. There, surrounded by the people he loved and in the kind of place where he was happiest, family and friends will gather to remember him exactly as he was.

A celebration of life will be held at 12 noon on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at Old Washington Park (2340 Old Main St. Maysville, KY 41056).

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made in Alan’s honor to the Mayslick Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 97, Mayslick, KY 41055.

The world feels different without him in it.

But every time one of his stories is told and somebody laughs, there he’ll be.

And Dad, there is absolutely nothing we can do about that. ❤️