Victor Manuel Paz Sr.

Victor Manuel Paz was born March 2,1965 to Candelaria and Alfonso Paz in Escondido. He was the youngest of 8 children. Throughout his childhood, he lived in Vista, California where he played football and was a respected amateur boxer in the area.

At 16 years of age, he began his future with the love of his life. In August 1983, he married his soul mate, Carmen, with whom he fathered 4 children; 1 son, Victor Jr. and 3 daughters Monica, Crystal, and Elena. In 1989, Victor moved to the small town of Anza, where he would raise his family.

As a Father, he devoted his time to his family as a coach, a teacher, a leader and a role model. Not only did Victor motivate and develop his children, but their friends who became family in time. He enjoyed the time he spent with his 7 grandchildren, feeling blessed with every moment.

As an adult, Victor started his career as a storied, journeyman carpenter where he created many relationships. He was well known and respected for his work ethic and extraordinary expertise of his craft.

Known for his esteemed presence, Victor had a knack for building relationships everywhere he went. He developed and taught every person he encountered.

As a beloved community member in the town of Anza, he was active in local community groups including the Lions Club Turkey shoot where he had many friends and was regular annual champion.

Victor was a devout and active member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Remembered for his infamous gracious personality, generosity, big smile, loud laugh, tough love, and kind heart. Victor Manuel Paz is truly, One of a Kind.

Eulogy

Victor Paz, what can we say about Victor? My Dad wore many roles in life… a man, a carpenter, a teacher, a coach, a leader, a boss, a friend, father-figure, best friend, Grandfather, Godfather, brother, Father, Husband… to many of you he was one of these or many of these. He may have took you in with his tough love approach.

His heart was as big as my Mom’s heart, he described it as the biggest heart in the world. Well Dad for the first time I’m going to say, you always cut yourself short. My Mom is the most beautiful person in the world, but my Dad? He too was the most beautiful person in the world.

Soulmates sharing 1 heart, how can he not share that massive heart she has? My Dad and Mom are the kindest person I’ve ever met… my Dad taught me Pay it Forward before it was a movie… he was always Paying it Forward. From sponsoring kids at baseball and soccer to helping around the church to buying you the meal you couldn’t afford. That was my Dad, always there when you needed him. I’m not saying that as his son, I’m saying that as a person, many of you have come to me with stories about my Dad, and I love and appreciate it.

My Dad gave and gave… gave as much as he could… whether it be time, food, clothes, gifts, or money… he was there. I loved that I could call my Dad at any point if I needed him, there was never a “you shouldn’t have called,” I should have called him more… It wasn’t just like that for me though, any of you know if you called my Dad in trouble he was there in the capacity he could be.

On Wednesday when I got called that he was in the hospital, I wasn’t worried for some reason… He is the strongest man I know and I just assumed he’d pull through. I mean he worked until the day he died… that was my Dad… He told Enrique he’d go to the hospital after work and he almost made it through the day too… He drove to work almost 2 hours and worked several more… Standing here today for me is almost unfathomable… he taught me strength… and what it was to be a man.

He taught many of you how to be a man, how to take care of your family… something he taught himself… I was lucky I grew up with Victor Paz as my Father… everyone who knows him knows I was lucky. My dad was an amazing… a great man. I tried to think of just 1 story I could tell about him to illustrate him… but how do you tell just 1 story? He had created so many with everyone.

When I was a kid my Dad would get up at 3:30 in the morning and return at 4:30 pm racing to get home to coach me or my one of my Sisters’ teams. Always making sure to be there, it didn’t matter that he worked all day… that his back hurt… that he was tired… he threw us pitches so he could “spare the kid’s arms”. He wanted us to enjoy it, he wanted us to have a childhood… he wanted us to have moments he never got to have with his Father who passed when he was a child himself.

Many of you have wished my family love, something that my family truly appreciates. I know he appreciates it where he is today as well. I know he’s smiling down and thanking you with his infamous gracious personality. Many have told stories of childhood, teen years, working at KFC, working as a carpenter, shooting, playing baseball, childhood birthday parties, your son leaving a message on our answer machine, I could go on and on… you all have stories with my Dad… that’s what made him special. He could build a relationship… a story with anyone, at any point… And he remembered them all… My Dad built relationships with my Uncle Alex’s HOA crew better than my Uncle Alex… and all he could say “wait a second this is my condo.”

Dad groomed a lot of young men to be carpenters, many even in my own family, many became family, invited over for Christmas and Thanksgiving even today, that doesn’t stop today… you are still invited over as he would wish and my family wishes it would continue on. My Dad may have taught you to build some impossible sounding wall, some animated Disneyland project, or a concrete fountain. You all know when you worked with him he was “the man with no feelings”, he might yell at you all day then buy Ice Cream after work… you wanted to be mad… but just couldn’t… that was my Dad. He even told me “if you weren’t my son I’d fire you.” I didn’t want to be “that guy” so I sped my butt up… that was my Dad though… he knew just what to say intuitively to get more out of you.

If he was your coach he learned how to talk to each player differently… I did better with the yelling… some did better with the supporting… some did better with the teaching but whether he was your coach or your boss… he knew how to get you better at anything you did. He coached basketball, soccer, and baseball… not one did he play as a kid… what he did was read… study and learn… to make sure he could coach.

He was always reading, I remember every day my Dad would come home from work and we’d read a book on his bed taking turns reading out loud. At that point I didn’t think about it as teaching me to read and speak better… to flex my mind… to spend time with him… but that was my Dad… he always had several reasons for doing things the way he did them… everything he did was well calibrated and intelligently thought out. He read daily… and told others to do so… to always be bettering yourself… and that continues in me today.

If you just met him you’d not think it though… he was an “alpha” male… a man’s “man”. You see a dominant personality that took over a room… he was usually the center of the conversation no matter who was there. I can’t say I haven’t picked up some of these things from my Dad… but I am Victor Jr., Lil Victor, or Dad as he called me… yes my Dad and I called each other Dad. He is and will always be big “Victor” or Victor… I will never be that.

Big Victor as many of you knew him.. Touched your heart in some way. He helped you in some way if you gave him just a few minutes and your ears and if you wouldn’t… he metaphorically grabbed them… who am I kidding… probably literally… and got you to understand the lesson ahead. He had one final lesson that I ask you guys to listen to.

We are here to celebrate his life…Do not mourn his death… as painful as his loss is.. He would never allow us to mourn his death… he would ask us to tell stories… to laugh… to celebrate his life… I know it’s going to be hard… hard to go forward without him… but we are here to do that… He would ask us nothing more than to live happily ever after. He prepared us for life without him… we must continue forward as he would wish. Live a happy… fun full life… where we celebrate his… where we love him by doing good in life and for ourselves. Go on and create your stories for yourself… And for him.. Thank you all.. I love you all for being here with us in celebration of my Father.