Alvin "Al" Harry Yungton

Alvin " Al" Yungton  (February 17, 1936 – March 17, 2025).

Alvin H. Yungton, 89, went home to be with the Lord March 17, 2025. He is survived by daughter Cynthia Frohriep (Todd), daughter Patricia Hipsley (Dale), daughter-in-law Sabina Yungton, grandchildren Nathaniel and Ella Hipsley and Cosette Yungton, and a number of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Wanda, and by his son, Joel.

Born in Kenosha, WI to German immigrant parents, Al displayed a God-given musical talent even as a very young boy.  Before he was school age, his parents and three older siblings moved to Detroit, MI, where he lived the rest of his life.  He went to Cass Technical High School, excelling in all his musical endeavors and graduating in 1953.  A devout Christian, Al was the music director for Voice of Christian Youth (VCY) where he met his future wife, Wanda. They were married in 1959.

Al earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from Wayne State University. He also taught in the music department there for several years.  He was an all-around musician, proficient in piano, tuba and string bass. Al conducted both orchestras and choirs, but he made his living as a composer and arranger. His talents for arranging were sought in a variety of musical circles including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Nashville Symphony.  He started a film scoring business, Filmhaus Music, that he operated for many years. During that time, he wrote many commercial jingles and composed, with his associate, an original score for two PBS documentaries on the presidential plane, Air Force One.

Widely respected in church music circles, Al was music minister at Covenant Baptist Church in Detroit and also Highland Park Baptist Church in Southfield. He arranged, produced and recorded many albums for singer, Rexella Van Impe. In 1976 he served as the local choir coordinator for the Billy Graham Crusade at the Pontiac Silverdome. He may have been known most for his many years conducting the orchestra and arranging the music for Calvary Baptist Church in Hazel Park.  Their large-scale productions for Christmas, Easter and even Patriotic concerts were held yearly at Ford Auditorium and, later, in the church’s own brand-new auditorium.  In his later years, Al joined the staff of Jack Van Impe Ministries in Troy, working on the “Jack Van Impe Presents” television program.

Though he may have officially been retired, Al continued to be involved in church music. Whether arranging, conducting or just singing in his own church choir, Al was never far from the music he loved, worshipping the God that he loved.  He enjoyed planning and leading large hymn sings that drew hundreds of people to each event.  For many years he led singing for the Piatt Lake Bible Conference in the Upper Peninsula and was on the board of Hiawatha Youth Camp at Piatt Lake. He also sang in the Langsford Men’s Chorus, often holding extra rehearsals for his section at his own home.

He and Wanda loved being with their family most of all. They often traveled to Boston and Cincinnati to visit their children and grandchildren. His greatest joy was when the whole family would gather together for holidays, anniversaries or just because…

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 29, 2025, at Highland Park Baptist Church, 28600 Lahser Rd, Southfield, MI 48034. The family will begin receiving people at 10:00 am with the service following at 11:00 am.

Memorial donations may be made to: Hiawatha Youth Camp, Box 1456, Southgate, MI 48195 https://www.hiawathayouthcamp.com/