Albert Richard Arteaga was born July 3, 1939 in Bronx, New York to Henry Arteaga and Victoria Pawlikowski. He grew up to be a large man at 6'5", but had an even bigger heart. He joined the United States Air Force after graduating high school and went on to be an electrician for the armed forces. He served for over 22 years in active duty before retiring at the rank of Tech Sergeant. He served in North Korea and Vietnam. In the Air Force, he met his future wife and the mother of their children, Sharon Newell. They married in Wichita, Texas on July 17, 1961 and had two children, Susan and Steven. They moved to Tyndall Air Force Base in the 1970's and decided to make Florida their home. They were married for almost 60 years before she passed, holding his hand, in January 2021. Al, as everyone called him, was many things in his lifetime, but most importantly he was kind, humble and always cheerful. He was someone that would always be ready to crack a joke or sing a song just to make someone smile. He was someone his family could always count on. He enjoyed music, food and in his prime, square dancing. After a few months battling cancer, he passed peacefully in his home on June 5, 2023. He leaves behind his children Susan and Steven, and his grandchildren, Shawn, Andrew, Alex, Alidia, Rachael, Nathaniel and Matthew as well as great-grandchildren, Brenden, Kingslie, Melani, Christian, Emberlee and Lyzik, all of Panama City, FL. The family has decided to hold a private ceremony for family and close family friends.