Alfonso H. “Al” De La Garza, Jr., 64, of Valparaiso passed away Sunday, September 3, 2023. He was born August 22, 1959, to Alfonso H. & Maria (Faria) De La Garza, Sr. Alfonso honed his skills as a professional boxer to begin his career, won a Golden Gloves championship and appeared on bouts televised by HBO. This accomplished the first of Alfonso’s aspirations. He also dreamed of inventing new devices to assist in life’s tasks and succeeded to a lesser degree than his pugilistic endeavors. Always an outdoorsman at heart, Alfonso loved studying nature, hunting & trapping, and sharing his knowledge of edible plants. This may have been what helped him transition into his second career as a cook at various local restaurants.
Survivors include his sons; Alex (Megan) De La Garza of Rensselaer, IN & Anthony De La Garza of Lafayette, IN, daughter, Jillian De La Garza of Texas, brother, Nardo, sisters; Donna & Bonnie, and eight grandchildren; Aminia, Alexander, Carter, Neveah, Reagan, Wyatt, Brea & Alexandria. He was preceded in death by his parents.
A visitation will be held Thursday, September 21st from 10 – 11 am at Moeller Funeral Home, Valparaiso with a committal ceremony and entombment of urn to follow at Angelcrest Cemetery.