Ignacio B. Gomez, known as "Nacho", age 98, of Lemon Grove, California passed away on Monday September 17, 2018. Nacho was a native San Diegan, born July 31, 1920, into a family of two sisters and three brothers.
Ignacio grew up in San Diego and had many good memories of growing up in the city. One of his favorite stories shared took him back to his boyhood and the excitement of jumping off the bow of the docked Star of India. He would say "back in the good old days, kids were allowed to board the ship to jump into the cool waters of the bay during hot summer days."
Nacho attended San Diego High School, then know as "the castle". At the tender age of 12 years Ignacio was introduced to what would become his livelihood, commercial fishing. His neighbor, Portuguese Joe, first took him to meet the fishermen and put him to work with various tasks on the commercial fishing boats. Nacho immediately was hooked on the good money his labor brought in. He easily made in one week more money than the cannery workers made in one month. He felt proud that at his young age he was able to make a significance financial contribution to his family. For the next twenty-five years or so, his career consisted of going out on the commercial fishing boats for six months at a time. By the age of 21 Nacho was able to purchase his first home due to his dedicated work ethic.
During WWII, Nacho was drafted but due to luck and the fact that fishermen were needed to continue fishing to contribute to war efforts, he was exempted from military service.
Nacho met the love of his life, Virginia Najera, while she was walking by on her way to work. Everyday he would see her as she passed by until he worked up the courage to introduce himself to her. That was the start of their beautiful 25 year love story. They married and raised a family of two sons and one daughter; Erick, Sergio and Sonya. Virginia predeceased him in October of 1986.
Nacho's hard work also extended to working many aspects of construction and venturing in Real Estate.
When retirement finally rolled around, Nacho enjoyed the fruits of his labor. He enjoyed taking cruise ships with the family and visited several countries. His favorite destinations included visiting the Mayan pyramids in Cancun, the beautiful white sandy beaches of Cozumel, Jamaica, Panama, and Costa Rica.
When not traveling Nacho could be found relaxing at home, making music on his Gibson guitar, or playing tunes on his piano. He was gifted with an ear for music and learned to play both instruments by listening and playing back what he heard through memorization. For fun, Nacho enjoyed watching boxing and cage wrestling matches on television with his two furry friends, best buddies Snowflake and Bresela.
Nacho is survived by his three children; Erick Gomez, Sonya Gomez Ontinero and Sergio Gomez. His legacy includes six grandchildren and one great grandchild.
A visitation & celebration of life service for Nacho will be held Thursday, September 20, 2018 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Funeraria del Angel Chula Vista, 753 Broadway, Chula Vista, CA 91910. A funeral mass will occur Friday, September 21, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 2725 55th Street, San Diego, CA 92105. Interment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, 4470 Hilltop Drive, San Diego, California 92102.
So come take a Friday off, have a holiday in spirit for Nacho and have a Friday, Saturday and Sunday :)
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.humphreymortuary.com for the Gomez family.
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