Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

Alfred "Al" Coleman Rieback was born to Sally and Sid Rieback in Brooklyn, New York, in 1940. Al's father worked in retail, while his mother was a stay-at-home mom who was wonderful at taking care of the home and baking. In fact, she made a special dessert every night. When Al was six years old, the family moved to California where he developed a love of the sun and the beach. In high school, Al played a little football. He graduated from Hamilton High School in Los Angeles and went on to attend El Camino Junior College. His educational pursuits were cut short when he was drafted by the United States Army.

After basic training at Fort Ord on Monterey Bay in California, Al proudly served in the U.S. Army from 1958 to 1962, rising to the title of Private First Class E-3. He developed many wonderful friendships as he served in West Germany at the Brandenburg Gate. A leader with ideas, he organized a petition that would allow locals to help with cleanup in the kitchen during KP duty. He needed 50 signatures on the petition for approval and quickly gained 51 signatures. During his time overseas, he traveled regularly to Paris, France, Amsterdam, and Spain. He especially loved watching the matadors compete in bullfighting. Throughout his entire experience, he saved extensive photos of his travels as he created incredible memories. He was proudest of his role in history as he was stationed at Checkpoint Charlie, a symbol of freedom, as it was the crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War.

Following his service in the Army, Al returned home to Southern California where he landed a job with Prudential, where he worked for the next 26 years. In 1963, he married Rosie. The couple had a beautiful son they named Kurt in January 1964. Although the couple grew apart and divorced, Kurt was always a shared priority in both of their lives as they maintained a good relationship. Al was a wonderful father. Kurt's earliest memories date back to the age of three, when Al and Ken took him and his cousin Kirsten to Disneyland. In fact, there was a wonderful photo taken of Al and Ken with the kids on their shoulders at Disney. Al picked up Kurt on weekends and they spent time at his grandparents' home or they went to watch ballgames, drag racing or the ponies at the racetrack. There was always something fun to do with Al as he enjoyed life and he loved his son very much.

Professionally, during his decades at Prudential, Al handled conferences, travel, purchasing and planning. As part of his work, he traveled to many Western states plus Florida, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. With his high profile job as Prudential sponsored many events and horse races, Al was photographed with famous people such as the most successful jockey in U.S. history Willie Shoemaker and well-known actress Greer Garson.

Through Prudential, he met Barbie. The two started out as friends as he worked on the second floor and she worked on the first floor. In the early 80's, he asked her out. The couple started dating and Barbie fell in love with everything about Al. The first song they ever danced to was "September Morn" by Neil Diamond. On New Year's Eve 1983, Al asked Barbie, "Will you marry me?" The next day he refreshed the question and she said, "Yes." Barbie and Al married in May 1984 on the deck of their lovely home. It was a beautiful wedding ceremony as Kurt served as Al's best man. Barbie and Al did so much traveling, especially to favorite spots in Palm Springs and with Katie and Mel to Rosarito Beach, Mexico. Al was great to travel with for many reasons. He loved the freedom of travel, especially enjoying sunning himself on the beach. He also loved swimming and floating in the ocean. At home, Barbie and Al enjoyed listening to rock and roll, eclectic and easy listening music. They liked going to concerts such as Lionel Richie, Hall & Oates, Tina Turner and Neil Diamond. They also took an interest in watching performances in ice skating and Cirque du Soleil. Barbie and Al enjoyed everything life had to offer and supported each other with unconditional love. It was especially wonderful after Kurt married Sandy and they had children, Austin and Emily. It was great to watch the relationships grow, as Al was a wonderful grandfather. He liked spending time with his grandkids, even going trick or treating at Halloween. His most recent dance was with Emily dancing on his feet.

After working at Prudential, Al wanted to take a break from Corporate America, so he started a hot dog cart business called Hot Diggity Dog. He loved it because he got to talk and schmooze with people. When he went to dinner parties executives asked him about his work and he told them about his hot dog business. The executives were fascinated with his stories and envious of the freedom his work offered. Sadly, the rains of El Niño affected his business, so he needed something else to sink his teeth into. Soon, he found his niche. Over the last decade, Al was proud to join his son Kurt and his partner Tom Pirruccello, working at Professional Fit Clothing. Al enjoyed meeting people with special needs and asking them what kind of clothes they liked to wear. If someone said he liked Hawaiian shirts, Al would fit him for Hawaiian shirts. Instead of using buttons, the shirts would fasten easily with Velcro. Through his profound work with Professional Fit, Al changed lives by helping provide adaptive clothing and fashions for people in State Developmental Centers, Veterans Homes and Hospitals, Intensive Care Facilities, Retirement Homes and Group Homes. Al was so pleased with his work that helped make a difference and remind people that they were remembered.

In his free time, Al was a sports fan. His favorite team was the Lakers and he was a fan of the old Rams team. His favorite restaurant was Jake's in Del Mar. The restaurant was right on the beach, where Barbie and Al visited every year. His favorite beverage was a Stinger until he graduated to Martinis and later Brandy with club soda. After a trip to wine country with Tom, he enjoyed Merlot or Red Wine Chianti with dark chocolate as an after treat. He loved animals, especially his Beagle Basset Terrier mix puppy, Hotshot. He always appreciated the beauty in nature. Later in life, he became more political but he always listened to every opinion. He loved giving people little quotes of advice, which were called Al-isms, such as "Keep it simple" or "It is what it is." Al's view of life was "live and let live" or "to each his own." He always valued his independence and most recently, he made time to travel or sit in the park and enjoy life. He loved early morning sunrises and loved to take long drives. Most importantly, he was grateful for his family and friends, wanting happiness for everyone.

Al Rieback was a simple man, who loved life and loved to laugh. He will be remembered for his kindness, especially for being so nice to the ladies, and his ability of forgiveness. Barbie will miss everything about Al, while Kurt will miss his open invitation to talk and their friendship. In honoring his wishes, Al will be cremated, as it was his request. His family believes one day they will be reunited with him. Donations are welcome in his name to the American Cancer Society www.cancer.org. If you'd like to do something nice for him, in lieu of flowers, you would honor him by doing something nice for someone else. Al's advice to everyone would be to love your family, love your friends and love life.

Al Rieback was preceded in death by his parents Sally and Sid and too many friends. He is loved by his wife Barbie; son Kurt and his wife Sandy; grandchildren Austin and Emily; and many good friends. He will be remembered every day for his generous spirit and his smile…