After a long (103 years!) and interesting life, Alfredo Nespral left this earth on November 25, 2019. Alfredo was born April 16, 1916, in Madrid, Spain. At the age of nine, his uncle took him and his cousin to Havana, Cuba, where he was left to make it on his own. He was taken in as a house boy by a madam at a “big house” (his words). He later worked at a cigar factory and eventually was managing 500 men. After college and WWII, he wanted to become a pilot. He met his wife, Thais, while flight training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He became a long haul pilot for Pan Am, flying the C4. Thais was a professional orthodontist of notoriety. In the late 1950’s, as Cuba was changing, she became concerned about Alfredo’s flying and encouraged him to become a dentist. In 1956 they escaped by going to Venezuela and then moved to Florida, where he attended dental college. They practiced dentistry in southern California and also began breeding and showing Arabian horses, while raising their two sons, Alfredo, Jr., and Cesar. They retired to Penn Valley in 1999.
Alfredo is survived by his son, Cesar, and granddaughter, Hannah Rogers, of Colorado. He was predeceased by his wife and son (Alfredo, Jr). Alfredo enjoyed gardening and singing in Spanish while doing so. Neighbors often heard his lovely tenor voice echoing over the valley. He was proud to live in the US and be an American Citizen and he flew his flag every day.
A memorial service will be held 11am, Friday, January 17, at Hooper & Weaver in Grass Valley, California.
