Alfred "Al" William Oppel, Jr., 62, of Citra, Florida, died Monday, February 16, 2009. He suffered a heart attack while packing up the boat, after fishing on Newnan's Lake.
Born in Kearny, N.J., Al was the son of Jane Genevieve and Alfred Oppel Sr., a salesman who in 1949 moved his family to St. Petersburg. There Al, Sr. opened the Orange Motel on 4th Street North. In his teen-aged years Al Jr. was one of Florida's best amateur welterweight boxers. Al graduated from Northeast High School in St. Petersburg in 1965, then attended St. Petersburg and Miami-Dade community colleges. While in South Florida, he managed a large avocado and lime grove in Kendall, touching off a lifelong love of agriculture.
He earned a B.S. in ornamental horticulture in 1978 at the University of Florida, and spent time in Central America studying the cultivation of tropical and exotic plants. Later in Micanopy, Fl. he founded Wee Roses, a miniature rose business that served large stores. He later expanded operations at the greenhouses of Crevasse's Florists. More recently he operated a company that installed high-quality wood floors.
Al was a "bad to the bone" gardener and fisherman. He was a fan of the New York Yankees, and he also was a passionate follower of the Florida Gators. Al loved his family and friends and he was loved by all.
Al is survived by his wife Loretta Bonsteel, daughters Vanessa Oppel and Lisa Oppel, Lillie Bonsteel and Aurora Bonsteel, granddaughter Iris Bonsteel-Martin, brother Richard A. Oppel of Austin, Texas, and his former wife Micky Wells McMillan.
