SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Nestor Vallar has been on a mission to find his father's lost artwork, and since ABC 10News first shared his story in October, we've followed every step of his journey. From discovering his father's work inside the Bonita Museum to tracking down almost 10 original pieces, each find has been meaningful.
These aren't just paintings done by a San Diego Navy sailor named Vitaliano Vallar. For his son Nestor Vallar, who has been searching for his father's lost art, they're helping him connect not only to the past but with old friends.
Nestor's journey has taken him from flying to Texas to meet an Admiral's grandson and digitizing a portrait his father painted in the 1940s, to emotional moments back home in San Diego.
"Now knowing who painted them and what you're going through from the history of all this, it means a lot more than it did to me looking at them as a child," said Paul Fisette, grandson of Rear Admiral Roy T. Cowdrey.
Nestor Vallar has been on a journey that introduced him to several new friends and reunited him with old ones too.
One of the most meaningful reconnections happened when Joe Ameng saw ABC 10News' story. It had been 20 years since Joe last saw Nestor and his brothers.
"I know him. We used to always get together with our parents," Ameng said.
After seeing the story, Joe called the station and left a voicemail.
"I have a few of his father's paintings that I would like to give back to him," Ameng said in the message.
Within a couple days, ABC 10News helped these old friends find their way back to each other.
"I think the paintings are reconnecting all our families together again," Vallar said.
The old friends shared history when they met. Joe showed Nestor paintings his father had created for the Ameng family.
"I believe this bottom one here, my mom and dad loved this picture. And their father said, I could paint that," Ameng said.
Looking at the artwork, Nestor could see his father's distinctive work.
"Looks like his style, definitely, and it's got his signature," Vallar said.
The brothers even joked about which one would take the paintings home.
"We're gonna have to fight over this one," they said.
Out of the eight paintings ABC 10News stories have helped Nestor find, he says, it's rare that people will let him have the original pieces. But Joe was different.
"So hopefully this helps him have closure and the parents, you know, we'll be happy, and our friendship will continue," Ameng said.
For Nestor, the emotional reunion meant everything.
"It's like family coming home. Yeah, so that's what it means to me," Vallar said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
