Nel Leal

1946 - 2026

Nel Leal
01/06/1946 - 02/07/2026
Nel Alejandro Leal passed away peacefully on February 7, 2026, at age 80. Born in Cuba to Nereida Herrera and Manuel Leal, he came to the U.S. in November 1961 as a Cuban refugee from the Castro regime under the John F. Kennedy 1961 Cuban Refugee Program. He graduated from Saint Peter's University in New Jersey in 1968. He was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1969. Afterwards, he had a 10-year career in New York with Citibank and later Bank of America as an Assistant Vice President in commercial banking. Later, he changed careers to real estate as a Broker Associate for Pacific Union R.E. and Coldwell Banker R.E., where he worked for approximately 20 years in San Francisco.
Nel married his best friend, Darlene Gong, in 1985, and they welcomed the birth of their daughter, Lianna, in 1989.
Subsequently, he fell in love with wine country and, with a cherished group of friends, tried his hand at home winemaking, producing a pleasant Cabernet Sauvignon called Via Blanca from his own vineyard. He spent the last eight years in Hidden Valley Lake, enjoying gardening, reading, and tending to his favorite hobby-the stock market-in the company of Levi, the faithful puppy he kidnapped from his daughter during one of her world trips.
His favorite quote was, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans," from John Lennon's "Beautiful Boy."
Nel is survived by his wife of 40 years, his daughter, his son-in-law, Barrett, and his beautiful grandson, Archer Alejandro Abel, born in April 2025. He is also survived by cousins from Cuba, many nieces and nephews from the Bay Area, and a lifelong loving friendship with the Oliveri family.
Donations can be made to the O'Neil Cancer Center at Adventist Hospital in St. Helena, CA.