Erminio M Vasquez

Erminio Vasquez passed away at his home in Las Cruces, New Mexico on January 17, 2017 at the age of 67. Erminio was born in Roswell, New Mexico on November 15th, 1949 to Bernardo and Emilia (Sigala) Vasquez. After the death of Emilia, he was lovingly raised by his Uncle Jose and Aunt Sally (Sigala) Herrera. Erminio spent the early part of his life in Roswell, He prospered in spite of his family having modest means. In school he did well, and was on the first Roswell High Wrestling team. He was the first wrestler to step on the mat for the team that first year. He graduated from Roswell High School in 1967. After being given a deferment by the Army, he would not accept that and instead volunteered for the Navy and Vietnam. He asked to be sent to the combat zone, to keep his brother, Santiago out of harm's way. Santiago had been married a month before he was drafted, and was on his way to Vietnam. Only one family member can serve in the combat zone at a time, so he was hoping to take his brothers place. His request was denied so he served in New Haven, Connecticut from Jan 1969 to Jan 1975. He was trained as a Navy X-Ray technician and that became his career. He moved to Las Cruces to attend NMSU and was employed with Memorial Medical Center for 38 years, where he rose through the ranks in the radiology department and then transitioned into the role of MIS/Systems Analyst. Erminio enjoyed and was an extremely talented cook and gardener and took particular pride in his tomato plants, but his greatest passion was his family, and he always included his close friends in that category. He loved to entertain through his cooking and was well known for his award winning brisket and smoked ribs. He was a loving Husband, father and grandfather. He is survived by his loving wife of 31 years, Nadine, his children Vaadra, Mario, Edward, Vanessa, his brothers Santiago and Paul and his sister Nancy, as well as his grandchildren: Matthew, Robert, Mariah, Sarah, Johanna, Josiah, Jocelyn, and Grayson as well as many cousins, nephews, and nieces. As per his wishes, Erminio's ashes will be laid to rest on the family ranch, deeded to the family since the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and in the Manzano Land Grant. He chose the base of a tall pine tree, at the upper most part of the mountain overlooking the entire Manzanos. At a later date the immediate family will fulfill his wishes. A celebration of life will be held at 2:00 pm on Monday, January 23, 2017 at Getz Funeral home located at 1410 E. Bowman Ave. Las Cruces, New Mexico 88001. Reception immediately following the service will be held at the American Legion Post 10, located at 1185 E. Madrid. PDF Printable Version Service Information
Monday, January 23, 2017 2:00pm,
Getz Funeral Home Chapel

1410 E. Bowman Ave
Las Cruces, New Mexico 88001