Tony was always proud of his service during World War II, and remained active in the Santa Paula Mercer-Prieto VFW. He enjoyed the camaraderie of his fellow veterans, and was proud to serve beside them at local events.Tony will be greatly missed by all who knew him.Tony is preceded in death by his parents, Max and Beatrice Vasquez; wife Estella; daughter, Gloria Vasquez Cabral; brothers Max Vasquez and Raymond “Mundo” Vasquez; nephew Max Vasquez III; and great-granddaughter Savannah Rose Vasquez.He is survived by his son, Tony (Elaine) Vasquez; brothers Martin (Sheila) Vasquez, Joe Vasquez, Frankie Vasquez, and David Vasquez; sisters Lupe Ortiz, Margaret Pineda, and Eleanor Vasquez; grandchildren Tony (Angela) Vasquez, Estella (Roger) Arguelles, Richard (Dora) Cabral, and Elyssa Vasquez; great-grandchildren, Anthony, Cyerra and Sarina Vasquez, Angel, Angelina, and Gracie Acosta, Serina and Ella Cabral and Andy Arguelles; and a new great-granddaughter on the way.The family would like to extend its heartfelt thanks to Katie from Help Unlimited, and Tina from Hospice, and especially Richard and Dora Cabral, who lovingly cared for their grandpa.Special thanks to Jeanette Jauregui of Santa Paula. Your friendship, compassion and dedication was greatly appreciated.A Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Monday, February 2, with a Rosary recited at 7 p.m. at Funeraria del ángel Stetler Mortuary, located at 128 S. 8th Street. A mass celebrating Tony’s life will be held at St. Sebastian Church in Santa Paula on Tuesday, February 3 at 10:30 a.m.In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Santa Paula Mercer-Prieto VFW at P.O. Box 207, Santa Paula, CA 93060.Arrangements under the direction of Funeraria del ángel Stetler Mortuary, 128 S. Eighth St., Santa Paula, 805/525-5595.
Obituary
January 30, 2009
Obituaries
Tony Vasquez
“The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all.” (Meg Cabot)Anthony “Tony” Vasquez passed away peacefully at his home in Santa Paula on January 27, 2009, after a brief illness. He was 86.Tony was born the eldest of 10 children to Max and Beatrice Vasquez in Santa Paula on June 13, 1922. He attended local schools until the age of 16, when he began to work alongside his father to help earn extra money during the struggles of the Depression.Tony developed a love for baseball at a young age, and had talent that eventually led to a semi-professional career. But when World War II began, he was forced to put his career on hold.In September 1942, Tony was drafted into the United States Army and began training as a member of the 119th Infantry, 30th Division. His first combat mission began on June 11, 1944, when he landed on Omaha Beach just one week after the Allied invasion of Normandy. He was shot in the leg during the landing, but bravely continued on with his unit.Tony served as a staff sergeant and led a mortar squad on the front lines through Northern France and into Germany. On October 6, 1944, while fighting near Aachen, Germany, Tony was taken as a prisoner of war by the German forces, and spent the next three months in various prison camps.In January 1945, Tony escaped from the camp, and was again wounded, this time in the arm. After several months of hiding and attempting to make his way into friendlier territory, Tony ran into a Russian pilot who took him to a freighter bound for Naples, Italy. He returned to the United States in April 1945, and was sent to Modesto for treatment of his arm, which he nearly lost after escaping from the prison camp.Tony was discharged from the Army in 1946, and began working for the Naval Base at Port Hueneme. He and his wife, Estella, whom he married in 1945, raised their two children Tony and Gloria in Santa Paula.The wound Tony received in his arm during the war caused permanent nerve damage, and ended his promising baseball career. But in 1956, when the Santa Paula Little League opened its first season, he volunteered to become an umpire. It was a post he proudly held for more than 50 years.Because Tony worked to help support his family, he was never able to finish high school. But in 1970, Tony completed his GED, marking a new achievement in his life. Eleven years later, in 1981, he retired from Port Hueneme.
