Our hearts are breaking as we say goodbye to Vince Lima who passed away on Wednesday, November 11 at the age of 85. Vince has been the proud patriarch of his loving family: husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and great-grandfather. He and Carole met as youngsters at Central Elementary School “shack” recreation center and were married for a loving 62 years. Even to the end, she remained his “best girl” and he made sure she knew that they continued to “go steady.” They raised their four kids—Phil, Lisa, Vickie and Marty—who added to the legacy by adding 13 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren, as well as other grandkids and great grandkids who married into the family.
Vince’s hobbies included watching sports (especially football), golfing, fishing, visiting the casino, and meeting up with friends. Vince was also a wonderful musician whose main focus was clarinet, but he could instantly play any instrument he picked up. He even jumped in to conduct a band when he was a young child and the conductor was unavailable. He loved and played big band music and jazz music.
He grew up in East San Diego (now City Heights), and was a longstanding altar boy and parishioner at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, where he also attended grade school. Vince’s high school years at St. Augustine were some of his fondest memories.
Vince was a longtime employee of General Dynamics and eventually retired from Lockheed Martin. He enjoyed his work in Quality Assurance and met many of his lifelong friends at work.
In addition to his day job, Vince worked tirelessly at his parents’ grocery store, Lima’s Market, both in Mission Valley and later at two locations on University Avenue in East San Diego. His sausage making, pizza rolling and bread baking skills were lifelong joys. In later years, he added cookie making, and greatly enjoyed sharing all of his creations with friends and family alike.
Vince spent 15 wonderful years coaching East San Diego Pop Warner (at Crawford High School) and later Alvarado Pop Warner (at Patrick Henry). His passionate coaching style and care for all the boys on his teams has certainly influenced many more lives than we will ever know.
Vince attended San Diego State University and was a lifelong Aztec fan. He had so many great memories of wearing red and black and cheering on Aztec football.
Vince spent several years in Reno, building his and Carole’s dream house and making special friends. Many people will remember his extraordinary bond with his favorite dog, Augi. The two were inseparable for years and brought each other enormous joy. After moving back to San Diego, he became a parishioner at Our Lady of Perpetual Help church.
Small private arrangements are being coordinated now. We are planning for a larger Celebration of Life sometime next July near his birthday. Hopefully by then, the Covid restrictions will be lessened and we can enjoy hugs and sharing stories.
No flowers, please. If you feel inclined, please donate to either the Wounded Warriors Foundation (https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/) or Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church (https://olphchurch.org/ Donate button at upper left). And please toast him in your own way with one of his favorites, a Slurpee or Tequila Sunrise!
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