Alfredo Jose Piedra

Alfredo Jose Piedra was born in Cuba on April 16, 1936. He was the eldest child of Ignacio and Gloria Piedra, and brother of his beloved sister, Maria. Alfredo grew up in Havana, and was initially married to Caridad Yolanda.

As the Cuban Revolution unfolded around him, Alfredo was thrown into jail briefly by the Castro forces for speaking out against the new regime. After being released, Alfredo was encouraged to immigrate to the US. He boarded a plane in 1962 headed for America with just the clothes on his back. The authorities in Cuba had taken all of his possessions - even his cherished class ring from Thomas of Villanova Catholic University in Havana. In the early 1960s, Alfredo and his second wife, Vania Martin, eventually settled in New York City after she had joined him, where they raised their two children, Juan Alfredo Piedra and Laura (Piedra) Levine. While living in NYC, Alfredo worked several jobs to support the family, including as an accountant.

Eventually, Alfredo’s accounting work took him all over Latin America while working for Marriott Corporation. In the mid-1970s, Alfredo moved to Washington, D.C. In 1980, a mutual friend, Joanie Antonelli, introduced Alfredo to the love of his life, Gloria Interiano. In 1981, Gloria brought her two daughters, Kellyn and Marillyn, to the US from El Salvador. The family later moved into a quaint house on Military Road in northwest Washington, DC. The house was known for delicious dinners, good wine, cigars (Cuban, when he could get them), and lots of dancing - four things that Alfredo fully enjoyed throughout his life.

During the 1980s, Alfredo became a part-owner of Chez Grand Mere, a French restaurant in the Georgetown neighborhood in Washington, DC, and helped run the restaurant through the early 1990s, before it closed. Alfredo and Gloria were officially married in 1995 and had a very happy life together, including having 11 grandchildren and three great grandchildren. He officially retired from the accounting field in 2012 after having moved with Gloria to Leesburg, Virginia in 2006 before returning to Arlington a few years ago. In the last several years of his life, Alfredo reconnected with his firstborn daughter, Carmen Maria, and they reunited in-person in El Salvador in early 2020. In addition to being a wonderful grandfather, husband, and father, Alfredo was also one of the biggest baseball fans most people ever met, and would watch every single Washington Nationals game every season.

He brought joy to everyone he crossed paths with, always quick with a joke (some of them a bit naughty), a big hearty laugh, and the ability to start a dance party anywhere. Even in the last few years of his life, Alfredo would still dance to Gloria Estefan (one of his favourite singers) and enjoy the occasional after dinner sip of Johnny Walker Black. Larger than life, Alfredo brought so much warmth into all of our lives. We will always cherish the memories of him cooking up one of his famous paellas, sitting down to read his favourite Hemingway book, and playing tricks on everyone he met with a goofy grin on his face.

Alfredo is survived by his wife Gloria, sister Maria (Ricardo) daughter Carmen Maria (Giraldo), son Juan Alfredo (Kerline), daughter Laura (Sandy), stepdaughter Kellyn (Shannon), stepdaughter Marillyn (Will), brother and sister in-law Jorge and Eva Interiano, 11 grandchildren (AJ, Anthony, Cynthia, Heidy, Jennifer, Jessica, Jonathan, Michael, Rowan, Sofia, and Timothy) and three great grandchildren (Atticus, Harper, and Xavier).

A visitation will be held from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm on Saturday, August 27, 2022 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM in The Shenandoah Room at Murphy Funeral Homes of Arlington. A funeral service will occur at 10:00 am on Sunday, August 28, 2022 in The Potomac Room at Murphy Funeral Homes of Arlington with a graveside service to immediately follow at National Memorial Park.

A reception will occur from 2:00 pm until 5:00 pm on Sunday, August 28, 2022 at Taberna del Alabardero, 1776 I St NW, Washington, DC 20006.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.murphy-funeralhomes.com for the Piedra family.