Winston A. Vazquez

Winston Aldama Vazquez, affectionately known by family and friends as Winnie, was born to Gerardo and Patrocinio Vazquez on April 28, 1945 in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija, Philippines. He had an older brother, Orson Vazquez. Sadly, their father, Gerardo, passed away when Winston was an infant. Patrocinio was remarried to Oscar Tiongco on April 28, 1956 and gave birth to Winston’s little sister, Theresa, a couple of years later.

As a child, Winston enjoyed flying kites, swimming in the lake, and capturing spiders with his friends. In 1963, his family moved to Japan when he was 18. While living in Japan, he was blessed with his first child, Akira. Winston’s family returned to the Philippines three years later. Akira stayed in Japan with his mother.

EDUCATION AND CAREER

Back in the Philippines, Winston attended Far Eastern University in Manila, where he developed an interest in architecture. One of his favorite subjects was Perspective Drawings of Buildings and Homes. Winston received a bachelor of science degree in architecture from Far Eastern University on December 6, 1971.

Winston worked as a draftsman for multiple companies throughout his life. His career started with Atlantic, Gulf, & Pacific Company in Manila in 1973. After emigrating to the United States with his family in 1981, Winston began employment at Kyocera, where he worked for 12 years. He worked for other small firms between 1995 and 2005. As a change of pace, Winston worked as a life insurance agent for New York Life before retiring in 2007.

FAMILY

Winston met Angela Nola in 1966 after introducing himself to her in a restaurant. They were married on December 21, 1968 and had three children, Rossanna, Rowena, and Ronaldo Vazquez. Their marriage ended in November 1990.

Winston met Winney Bersamin in 1991 while both were working in Kyocera. They were married on December 10, 1994. Winston gained two stepsons, Dahwin and Dehnis Delacruz, from Winney’s previous marriage. Winston and Winney had one child, William.

Winston was a dedicated family man. Through his actions, he always made it clear that family was his highest priority. He preferred being behind the scenes and never took credit for his part in family members’ successes. He led with a quiet resolve and praised with a kind smile.

INTERESTS

Winston absolutely excelled in chess. He was a student of the game. He dedicated hundreds of hours learning the intricacies of chess. Contrary to his laid-back demeanor, he preferred aggressive chess styles like Queen’s Gambit and Sicilian Defense. These styles were key to his victories in many chess tournaments during college.

Winston loved to bowl. Winston enjoyed taking part in numerous bowling leagues but he was not a casual bowler. He had his own bowling equipment, including a slick, marbled, 14-pound, Rhino. His bowling technique consisted of taking a five-step approach, hitting the second arrow from the right, and applying a gentle turn of the wrist to add an easy curve to his roll. That was usually followed by a thundering strike. While most would be happy to bowl a 180 game, Winston considered that a disappointment.

Baseball was a part of Winston’s life. He grew up admiring Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers. Upon arriving in San Diego in 1981, the Padres became his team. In the 80’s, he listened to games religiously on the radio and tracked the play-by-play action on scoring sheets that he secretly made at work. He read every sports article about the Padres, usually about how terrible they were. Thankfully, the Padres provided Winston with some memorable seasons.

Winston also enjoyed music and dancing. He brought out his inner Fred Astaire with ballroom dancing. He particularly enjoyed salsa, cha-cha, swing, hustle, and merengue. He loved listening to the Beatles since he was a teenager, an interest that carried over to his children. His taste in music eventually evolved to instrumental music, particularly Yanni and other soft piano melodies.

IN PASSING

Winston departed from this life on April 10, 2016 in Chula Vista, California after a brave battle with cancer. He was preceded by his father, Gerardo; his mother, Patrocinio; and his brother, Orson. He is survived by his wife, Winney; his children, Akira, Rossanna, Rowena, Ronaldo, and William; his stepchildren, Dahwin and Dehnis; his sister, Theresa; and his grandchildren, Julia, Jacob, Joshua, Serena, Nicholas, Miranda, Tony, Elisa, Sophia, Daylon, Maylana, and Dalvin.

This biography doesn’t do his life justice, but as Winston would always say, it’s better than nothing.