Reynaldo Farro Asprer

A respected patriarch with a formidable work ethic, unshakeable pride for his two home countries, and a penchant for grand storytelling, “Deng” was an active gardener well into his last year of life.

Deng was born to Juan Asprer and Isabel Farro on September 1, 1932, in Manila. He was the third child and second son of nine siblings. His mother was a housekeeper. His father was an agriculturist, at the helm of a five-acre cooperative nursery in Matatalaib, in the Tarlac province, which grew produce for the community. This is where Deng’s gift for making things grow first took root. His first task, at age 2, was feeding chickens. His work on and passion for the nursery ultimately bloomed into the fruitful garden (often including touches of whimsy) he would tend to daily in his twilight years.

Despite a large family and lush countryside surroundings, Deng’s childhood was hard. Amid the Japanese occupation during World War II, the family spent two years in hiding, living in caves deep in the mountains.

What later became a central plight was his dream of becoming an engineer, something enkindled by a favorite schoolteacher. He endured years of backbreaking labor, including breaking rocks in a quarry, to pursue his studies. Other passions included classic British and American literature. He was known for narrating such stories as Ivanhoe, The Three Musketeers, and Hans Christian Anderson's tales to clusters of eager listeners.

In 1960, while working and attending school in Pasay City, Manila, Deng met Milagros Raymundo, who noticed him telling stories to the complex’s children. Deng rented a room from Mila’s cousin. On August 6, 1961, Deng and Mila married at San Rafael Church in Pasay City. There, Deng studied at Mapua Institute of Technology and then at Manuel Quezon University School of Engineering. On April 6, 1962, they had their son, Roy. On June 10, 1964, they had their daughter, Arminda.

After years of efforts, the family emigrated from the Philippines to the United States, with the help of Deng’s close school friends Dominador and Rosita Robles. They flew over on September 2, 1970. Famously, in addition to specially made suits for Deng and Roy and matching plaid outfits for Mila and Mindy, they arrived in San Francisco with only $100 and two suitcases. For years they lived around San Francisco, including Adair Street in the Mission and Foote Avenue and Rome Street in Cayuga Terrace.

For five years, Deng first worked at Pillsbury & Martignoni on the Embarcadero, where he was a drafter converting old blueprints of fighter jets and ships onto mylar sheets by hand. He then worked at Bechtel until his retirement. Toward the end of his career, he spent time in Pennsylvania at the Susquehanna nuclear power plant as the resident nuclear piping engineer.

Ultimately, in 1986, Deng and Mila settled in San Rafael, California, just north of the Golden Gate, in a home where they fawned over six grandchildren and where Deng established a sprawling and prolific garden, complete with playful "scarecrows" and boobie traps to deter birds and pests. Legendary storytelling, spirited jokes and pranks (including but not limited to gifting “bricks” at Christmas), and filling a room with his warm, reverberant baritone while singing Christmas carols and Broadway tunes (“Hellooooo Dolly!”) were among the many things Deng became known for as a grandfather. Another hobby, first sparked in office betting pools at Bechtel, was a fitting nexus of Deng’s whip-smart analytical mind and passion for American sports: sports betting. Las Vegas was cited as one of his favorite places of all time.

Above all, Deng was powered by a drive for excellence, a deep pride, and a profound thankfulness for the life he carved out and honed for himself and his family in America.

Deng is survived by his beloved wife, Mila, children Roy and Mindy, and his six grandchildren Cristina, Daniel, Angela, Xavier, Elias, and Aiden.