Juan G. Vasquez, a longtime Gilroy resident and Korean War
veteran, died Thursday, Sept. 4, 2003, in Gilroy following a
lengthy battle with diabetes and heart disease.
Juan G. Vasquez, a longtime Gilroy resident and Korean War veteran, died Thursday, Sept. 4, 2003, in Gilroy following a lengthy battle with diabetes and heart disease. He was 71.
He was the husband of Herlinda Vasquez of Gilroy. The couple would have celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary later this year. He was the father of Edward Vasquez and his wife Charlotte of Hanford, Ralph Vasquez of Gilroy and Fred Vasquez and his wife Margie of Albuquerque, N.M., and a grandfather to seven children. He was a brother of Jose Vasquez of Oroville, Oralia Carrillo of Union City and the late Esau Vasquez, Missouri.
He was a resident of Gilroy for 42 years, working as a bookkeeper for Chappell Pump & Supply for many years. He was a member of St. Mary’s Church, Gilroy, American Legion #217 and Veterans of Foreign Wars, Gilroy.
A native of Del Rio, Texas, Mr. Vasquez entered the U.S. Army after high school and was stationed at Fort Ord. Following a tour of duty in Korea during the Korean War, he was honorably discharged and returned to Texas to marry his childhood sweetheart. The couple then moved to the Bay Area joining thousands of Del Rio High School alums that would also settle in the Bay Area.
Mr. Vasquez received an associate’s degree from San Jose City College while working odd jobs to support his family. He settled in Gilroy in 1961 after Jack Kazanjian, CPA, hired him as a bookkeeper.
Visitation and a rosary will be held at Habing Family Funeral Home today at 6 p.m. On Wednesday, a funeral mass at St. Mary’s Church will be held at 11:30 a.m. followed by a burial service at St. Mary’s Cemetery.
The family wishes any contributions be made to the Joslin Diabetes Center, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, at One Joslin Place, Boston, MA 02215.
