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The always smiling Rudi Spadafora has a lot to be happy about! The 94-year-old was pleasantly surprised by friends and family in La Romana Country Club to celebrate an unforgettable farewell party. Many have known Rudi since his arrival here at the resort in the early 1990s and took to celebrating his time here in style.   Rudy Spadafora has been a brilliant entrepreneur, producing and selling beautiful knitwear all over the world, in particular to the American Market through his US corporation: SPADAFORA USA, based in New York. His daughter, Patrizia Spadafora, shared with us how Rudi first came to Casa de Campo;  “Close friends from NY had a villa in Casa de Campo and invited him and his wife Laura, to come to DR over Christmas holidays. My father always declined this invitation because he loved skiing in the Dolomites and fishing salmons around the world. He used to go fishing in Alaska, to Tierra del Fuego, to Iceland, to Cola Peninsula in Russia, and above all, to his private waters on the Spey River in Scotland. But one day, his wife Laura put her foot down and decided she would go to Casa de Campo on her own, Rudi felt urged to join her. It was 1991 when the Spadafora’s arrived in the ‘Isla Bonita’.” Their first stay was so fantastic that they decided to immediately buy their first villa! The whole family has been coming to Casa de Campo ever since and the 9 grandchildren grew up running around Altos de Chavon, bathing in Playa Minitas, and playing tennis with grandpa Rudi. Throughout the years, the community of friends grew larger, from the original group he met many wonderful friends. When in 2015 Dominique Bludhorn asked his daughter Marina to run the Fashion program at the Chavon Design School and she accepted, Rudi also decided to spend more time in the Dominican Republic. The years have rolled by, today Rudi is 94 and it is time for him, to go back home. On this special occasion, his daughter Patrizia decided, together with the La Romana Country Club’s restaurant manager Massimo Caretta, to celebrate Rudi’s farewell party with friends and his home staff: those who made his stay so special. Guests indulged in delicious hors d’oeuvres, and drinks prepared by the LRCC staff, whilst sharing beautiful memories of their time in Casa with Rudi. Party goers then gathered around as a projector showed a visibly emotional Rudi beautiful messages from his family in Italy wishing him a safe flight and their happiness to have him living close to them soon. Patrizia tells us, “He will miss this beautiful place and its memory will warm his heart in the winter days.” We will also miss having you here Rudi! See more photos from Rudi’s farewell party at La Romana Country Club taken by Laura Perdomo on September 7th, in the gallery below: