Alberto J. "Al" Garcia

Al was born in Hong Kong, in 1926. He was the second child in a family of seven.  He took "School Leaving" from LaSalle College at age 14 and was employed by the Hong Kong Government.  On December 7, 1941 the Japanese bombed Hong Kong, occupied the Colony which surrendered on Christmas Eve.  Following the surrender, the Garcia Family, along with hundreds of others, left for Macau, a Portuguese colony [Al's father was Portuguese], and spent the 4 ½ years of WWII there as refugees.  At the end of the war, he and his oldest brother returned to Hong Kong to begin rebuilding their lives.  Shortly thereafter the rest of the family joined them.

In 1952 Al joined AIG/Hong Kong and was transferred to Bangkok.  He was moved again in 1955 to Phnom Penh, Cambodia as Assistant Manager of the local office.  In July 1959 he met the newly-arrived U.S. Embassy Personnel Assistant, Rita Piazza from Rosati, MO.  Al and Rita were married in Hong Kong in November 1961, arrived in the U.S. in January 1962 and Al was introduced to his in-laws, family and friends in Rosati.  Following the Missouri visit they settled in Northern California  - first in San Francisco then Mill Valley (Marin County).  After 51 years they moved to Springfield to be near family.

Al's career with AIG continued in the San Francisco regional office.  He retired in 1988 after 36 years.  Still young and energetic, he became a golf marshal at Marin County courses.  His golf score didn't improve but he learned a lot of Spanish and broadened his palate for Mexican food.

April 6, 1965 was a special day for AL.  He became an American citizen.  He was 39 years old, had never owned a firearm so guess what he did on April 7 ^th ?!

Al played field hockey [goalie] in Hong Kong, tennis in Bangkok and Phnom Penh, softball with the San Francisco AIG office staff, hand ball, and golf with SIRS in Marin.  He loved the beach and swimming in the ocean – never in a pool.

He was gentle and considerate, had a great sense of humor, enjoyed people, adored his furry little white shadow [Baci], spoke Cantonese, some French and Portuguese, planted herbs and tomatoes, was proud of his azaleas and roses, loved gadgets, could be stubborn and if you really wanted to rile him up just mention Missouri weather or cashew chicken.

But FOOD was his thing!  He was known for his culinary skills; he was undaunted in the kitchen.  He would try any recipe, adjusting and inventing on the spot.  Travels to Europe, Mexico and Asia meant visits to local markets, especially in Italy.  Seafood was of special interest, even getting his wife up at 5 AM to go to the fish auction in Hilo.  He enjoyed annual trips with the guys fishing for steelhead on the Klamath River, occasional deep sea fishing in Baja and bass and catfish fishing in the Ozarks during visits here.

Al was a cradle Catholic, a parishioner at Holy Trinity Church, and pre-Covid would be at the Saturday 5 PM Mass.  Thankful for live streaming he "attended" daily noon Mass as well as Saturday evening.

With no children of his own, Al embraced his 18 nieces and nephews [plus some non-related children of dear friends] who greatly enriched his life.  He enjoyed being with them and was enormously proud of their accomplishments.

Al is survived by his wife of 60 years, Rita Piazza of Springfield, MO; sister Elsa Houghton of Calgary; brother Stephen Garcia of Calgary; and sister-in-law Jodie Donati of Rosati, MO as well as 18 nieces and nephews, and several great nieces and nephews.

Memorial Mass will be held at 12:00 PM on Saturday, August 20, 2022 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 2818 E Bennett St, Springfield, MO 65804. Reception will follow at the Springhouse Village Clubhouse, 3877 East Farm Road 132, Springfield, MO 65802.

In Al's memory the family suggests a donation to Holy Trinity Catholic Church – Building & Maintenance Fund: www.HTCATHOLIC.COM or The Gathering Tree/edenvillageusa.org or one's favorite charity.