Abelardo Bartolome Garcia

Abelardo Bartolome Garcia, “Al", 79, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, and a native of Sage La Grande, Las Villas, Cuba, passed away peacefully at his home after a brief illness, surrounded by family, on March 17, 2023. Born on August 24, 1943, in Cuba, Al was the only child of Dagoberto and Carmen Garcia. Al grew up in Cuba without much money, but developed his lifelong love of going to the movies, visiting museums, and attending live music concerts, especially jazz. He lived in Cuba until he was 18 years old and fled as the country was taken over by Communism. Upon leaving Cuba, Al relocated to Jamaica for several months before moving to New York City to be with family. While in Jamaica, Al befriended a young, amateur reggae musician named Bob Marley, who eventually became the famous lead singer of Bob Marley and the Whalers. It was in New York City that Al took a job as a stock boy in a department store and fell in love with men’s fashion. He quickly worked his way up to becoming a salesperson and remained an expert in that profession his entire life. In 1966, Al moved to Miami, Florida, and met and fell in love-at-first-sight with Angela Hernandez. They were both attending a play at a Catholic school. A year after they met, Abelardo and Angela were married on August 25, 1967, and would have celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary later this year. Al and Angie welcomed their only child, Abelardo Garcia, Jr., in 1968, and they lived in Miami until relocating to the Atlanta, Georgia, area in 1980. During the course of his career in men’s fashion, Al worked at Nordstrom, Zachry, Parisian and most recently, Dillard’s, until October 2022. A highlight of his career was fitting the president of the Coca-Cola corporation, Roberto Crispulo Goizueta. Al took pride in his work, and his clients loved him. Many remained loyal customers for years, returning to see Al whenever they needed a new suit for a special occasion. In addition to being an accomplished men’s clothing sales professional, Al also became a successful licensed real estate agent. He made many lifelong friends as a result of both careers and his passion for getting to know people and making friends wherever he went. In his spare time, Al loved to take classes and learn about wine. He and Angie traveled all of the Caribbean, to Napa Valley, Tuscany, Alaska, and went on many cruises together. Al enjoyed drinking Pinot Noir and recommending different wines to friends and family. He never met a dessert he didn’t like, and his laugh and perpetually cheerful disposition were pure joy to be around. Abelardo is survived by his wife, Angela Garcia, and son, Abelardo “Albie” Garcia, Jr., both of both of Lawrenceville, GA; his two granddaughters, Emma Laney Garcia, a junior at University of Georgia, Athens, GA; and Genevieve Louella White, of Auburn, GA; Genevieve’s husband, Blake White, and their young son, Al’s great-grandson, Everest White. Al is also survived by several sisters- and brothers-in-law, and nieces, nephews, and cousins. Preceding Al in death are his parents, Dagoberto and Carmen Garcia. A Celebration of Life will take place Sunday, April 23, 2023, at Carl House, 1176 Atlanta Highway, Auburn, GA. If you plan to attend, please email albiegarcia@icloud.com for details.

Abelardo Bartolome Garcia

August 24, 1943 - March 17, 2023