Albert Emil Werle

1932 - 2021

Albert Emil Werle

1932 - 2021

Al "Sonny" Werle passed away at his St. Helena home on Saturday, August 28th surrounded by his family. Al was born in San Francisco on September 30, 1932 to Albert B. and Caroline Werle. He grew up in the Richmond district of San Francisco. Al's sister Dorothy "Sis" Werle was born in 1934. The family would always spend weekends visiting the Werle Ranch on Silverado Trail (now The Terraces winery) near St. Helena. Al's dad Albert acquired the 120-acre Werle Ranch in 1920 in a handshake deal for a mere $10, and because of the struggle to make a living at the ranch, he moved to San Francisco to find a good job to help the family in St. Helena. Al loved visiting his grandparents, uncles, aunt and cousins at the ranch. He would often explore the hills on the east side of the property with his shotgun, where he loved to go hunting.

In the 1940s Al and his family moved to Berkeley where they lived for several years both on Stannage Avenue and Alcatraz Avenue. After many failed attempts at trying to order illegal fireworks from a catalog, finally one day by a miracle, a huge wooden box arrived at his door stamped with the word FIREWORKS all over it. These were extremely loud, explosive fireworks, which he and his friends the Zabriski Brothers enjoyed terrorizing quiet Berkeley neighborhoods with. This he did while being an altar boy at the Catholic church.

While in Berkeley, Al went to the Peralta school and also St. Mary's High School, where he graduated in 1950. He had a few different jobs during this time, from paper boy to working at a soda fountain. His favorite job was selling Cal Bears football programs at Memorial Stadium.

Al loved Mercury cars. He owned a 1946 Mercury Club Coupe, a 1949 Mercury coupe that he had lowered and molded, and painted in a beautiful metallic gold. On Al's birthday, his brother-in-law presented him with "skirts" for his '49 Merc. It turned out his brother-in-law had stolen the "skirts" off another Mercury. His 1956 Mercury coupe was painted a beautiful lavender and white color.

In 1952, while "cruising the drag" in his '49 Merc along San Pablo Avenue in Albany, he saw a beautiful girl walking on the sidewalk. Just like the American Graffiti movie, he pulled over and asked if she needed a ride. Her name was Margot.

Al joined the Navy in 1953. He spent 2 years active duty on the USS Badoeng Strait, an escort carrier. He visited ports such as Pearl Harbor, Hong Kong and Japan. The crew tested new anti-submarine warfare equipment and participated in numerous anti-submarine warfare exercises. He spent another 4 years as an Air Naval Reserve based in Alameda.

On September 22, 1957 Al and Margot were married at St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Berkeley. For the next 2 years they lived in El Cerrito. In 1959 they moved to Richmond, CA. Here they were foster parents for a year with an organization based in Oakland. During this time Al was working for Pacific Bell in Martinez. He ended up working for Pacific Bell for over 30 years. On August 17, 1961 their daughter Linda was born.

In 1970, Al and Margot had a house built in St. Helena on Sylvaner Avenue. On June 3, 1971 their son Kenny was born. Al continued working for Pacific Bell, eventually transferring from Martinez to Napa, and then to the St. Helena branch. Al was offered early retirement in 1988 and he took it.

During his retired years, Al enjoyed numerous visits to Plumas county and the towns of Quincy and Chester. He especially enjoyed Lake Almanor. He also loved listening to his old jazz records, especially Stan Kenton, Shorty Rogers, Gerry Mulligan and Shelly Manne. Over the years Al was hit by 3 different bouts of cancer, but he overcame each one. In 2018 he had a bad fall, which was the beginning of a slow decline in his health.

Al is survived by his wife Margot of 63 years, son Kenny Werle of Calistoga, daughter Linda Valin of Hawaii, grandsons Eric Valin of Hawaii and Corey Valin (Jessica) of Chico, great granddaughters Kinsley and Kennedy of Chico, nephew Mike Piper of Grass Valley, niece Lori Hjellum of Woodland, niece Lisa Semas of Granite Bay, cousin Mike Werle of St. Helena, and several cousins in Germany. He is preceded in death by his parents Albert and Caroline, his sister Dorothy and his nephew Steve.

Per Al's request, there will be no service. He will be interred at St. Helena Cemetery with a private family burial.