David Aller, 85

David Carl Aller was called home to the Lord on May 1, 2026 in Hurst, Texas. After a short battle, he succumbed to pulmonary embolism.

Dave was born in Wenatchee, Washington, on March 11, 1941, to Elmer Aller and Marjorie McDole Aller. The family quickly moved to Boundary County and established themselves near Porthill, Idaho. Dave attended the one-room schoolhouse in Porthill for elementary school, then went on to graduate from Bonners Ferry High School in 1959.

Dave was married several times and bore two children, Robin Murphy and Christopher Aller. 

Dave approached life through humor and hard work. Everyone knows that one of his greatest joys was cracking jokes with a twinkle in his eye; he loved to make people laugh. Dave worked for many years as a diesel mechanic and general foreman for KV Farms in Porthill, Idaho. 

After a divorce, he moved to Blaine, Washington, in 1987 to be near his brother Warren and family. In Washington, he met and married Cleta Gorsuch in 1989. They then ventured off to Alaska, accomplishing things such as running and owning a salmon bake restaurant in Tok, Alaska, and owning a commercial fishing tender called the Robert S., out of Valdez, Alaska.

 But if you asked Dave what his career had been, he would proudly say, “I was a farmer!”  He even continued to work harvest several seasons in the Palouse, Washington, after “retirement.” Add in working construction and being a world-class diesel mechanic, and you will start to get an idea of how well-rounded Dave’s skills were. 

Dave’s southern home of Aguila, Arizona, was a magnet for many Bonners Ferry snowbirds for decades. Living in an airpark where he could fly his Cessna airplane most days, he and Cleta had many friends. They enjoyed many trips in their Cessna to meet friends all over the Southwest for breakfast or lunch, which they jokingly referred to as “hundred-dollar hamburgers."

He was very involved with his church family at Grace Community Church in Salome, Arizona. His relationship with Christ was very important to him, and he looked forward to meeting Jesus in person. 

Dave was preceded in death by his loving wife, Cleta in 2024; brother, Warren in 2026; and his sister, June, in 2015. Dave is survived by his daughter, Robin Murphy, and her partner Greg Ragsdale, of Peoria, Arizona.; his son, Christopher, and his wife Mayte Renteria of North Richland Hills, Texas; his granddaughters, Rori Murphy of Spokane, Washington, and Catherine Aller of North Richland Hills, Texas.; and his grandson, Jeffrey Aller of North Richland Hills, Texas. Dave had a large, loving extended family that he loved greatly, which called him Dad/Grandpa. 

David will be cremated and laid to rest in Porthill Cemetery on July 11, 2026, with his wife Cleta. 

Friends are invited to attend his memorial service to follow at 11:30 on July 11, 2026, at the Riverside Event Center located at 6437 Riverside, Bonners Ferry, Idaho.