Dr. Gatell's Family Lineage !

Before Dr. Gatell (BG) - The Prior Gatell Family Lineage !

1922 - From left to right: My Great Grandmother (Dolores Navarro) age 45, next to her husband, my Great Grandfather (Joan Gatell Valles) age 51, and his brother, my Great Grand Uncle (Josep Gatell Navarro) age 22. Sitting on the far left is my Great Great Grandfather (Joan Gatell) at age 70 - Of note, is that my father looks exactly as my Great Great Grandfather Joan Gatell at the same age (on the far right). It's really funny how identical looks can skip generations!

Interestingly, although I was brought up Roman Catholic, both surnames "Navarro" and "Valles" are considered originally surnames of Spanish Jewish families or Sephardic Jews origin - see www.sephardim.com . Even my surname "Gatell," may have Sephardic origins, as it is believed to have been derived from the name "Gato", meaning "Cat" in Spanish in the Middle Ages (300 to 1500 AD). So, it was likely a Jewish name, as most "good" Christians or "good" Spanish Roman Catholic believers would not have named themselves "cat" or "cat-like," as animals where generally considered associated with witchcraft - a bad thing to be associated during the Catholic Spanish Inquisition.

I am still amazed how many innocent people have died for the sake of "God" and "religion" throughout human existence - how very primitive we still behave.

1898-1979

Here is my Grandfather Joan Gatell Navarro (son of Dolores Navarro and Joan Gatell in the above photograph) in 1922. He was a farmer at age 24, but left Spain for Mexico to avoid the being drafted into the Spanish Army at war with the Arabs in Africa. His Grandfather (far right the above photograph), paid someone else to take his place in the Spanish draft. Instead, my Great Great Grandfather, sent my Grandfather (his grandson) to meet our wealthy relatives in Mexico - the Garreta family.

In 1924, Grandfather went to the US from Mexico as partner in a Mexican Beer Company. In the US, he met my Grandmother Adela Villa in Los Angeles, California. She was a Mexican immigrant. They had 3 children including my father, born 7/29/1929 as Juan Gatell Navarro shown below at 4 months old with his nanny:

In 1932, at age 3, my father went to live with his mother's brother (Polonio Villa) in Masclan, Mexico during the Great Depression. This well-to-do Mexican grand uncle of mine was in the tourist business and did not have any sons. He naturally favored my father and gave him a pony - he taught him how to be a Mexican cowboy! My granduncle really spoiled my father! This is why my father's passion still remains "cowboy movies" besides his love of fishing - he remembers his pony-riding days with great fondness.

In 1935, my grandparents left Tampico, Mexico by ship with their 3 children (my father at age 5 and his sisters Tia Lola and Tia Lupe) for Spain.

From 1936 to 1939, my family endured the Spanish Civil War. This war left such an impression on my father that he continually dreamed of crossing the ocean for America again. He learned to love fishing while watching the horizon and dreaming of making an ocean voyage for America again. He was born in Los Angeles, California, and felt himself to be an American trapped by the Franco Regime. And, I am sure he also felt himself a Catalan first from Catalonia - the northwest cultural providence of Spain, with Catalan as the first language - not a really a Spaniard.

In 1948, my father at age 19, finally went to the French Border and escaped the Spanish Franco Regime by running across a river at midnight with machine-gun fire behind him.

From France, my father returned to America after joining the Merchant Marines.

In 1953, my father joined the U.S. Army during the Korean War and was in the Artillery Division.

Shortly after he returned home in 1955, he met mother who was 18 years. She was a spitting-image of Elizabeth Taylor with beautiful brown eyes. He met her at a Spanish dance club in New York City.

My mother, Angelica Romero Paz, was from San Salvador, El Salvador in Central America. She came from a upper middle-class family with both my grandparents (Trinidad Romero and Chavelita Paz) being accountants, and my uncles being engineers, businessmen, diplomats and doctors.

My destiny was dictated by this women before I was even born. I was born to please her...thus, I went onto to be a professional too, a Doctor of Medicine.