Alex was born in 1940 to Martin and Edith Vago in Bridgeport, CT where his parents were also both born, raised, and married. In 1942, they welcomed Alex’s younger brother Marty (spouse Kimiko, son Ian) and Alex delighted in his brother’s comradery throughout his life. When Alex was seven, the Vago family moved to Los Angeles, CA where the brothers played tennis, left their footprints in the sand at the beach, and attended UCLA together.
Soon after setting foot in San Francisco, CA to attend California College of Podiatric Medicine, Alex met Joanne at the ‘guest house’ and swept her off her feet. They married in July 1965 at Mission Dolores Basilica. They loved to travel together, exploring the quaint corners and far reaches of California in particular.
In 1967, they put one foot in front of the other to move to San Jose to start a family and Alex established his podiatry practice. Initially settling in South San Jose, they welcomed sons Marc (daughter Evelyn) and Timothy into the world, with daughter Cassandra (Sandy, spouse Matthew) arriving “feet first” after they had moved to their “forever home” in the Rosegarden neighborhood.
A food-lover and man of many interests over his lifetime – woodworking, building home improvements, creating stained glass windows, gardening, playing bridge, stamp collecting, bird-watching, attending live performances – in his 40s, Alex discovered his love of running. Fleet-footed, Alex often won or placed in his age divisions in fun runs and road races well into his 70s. He was a member of the Santa Cruz Track Club and especially enjoyed running on the beach on the weekends with his son Tim, who credits his dad for inspiring him to run.
After “treating feet from all walks of life” as a podiatrist in San Jose for 40 years, Alex retired. In addition to his private practice, he had served several nursing homes and made house calls, bringing relief to weary feet and sharing his warm bedside manner everywhere he went. He was loving, kind, and helpful to all he encountered in all aspects of his life as husband, father, friend, and podiatrist. He was always quick to step up to help humans and animals. He was a man of humor, thoughtfulness, strength, integrity, adventure, generosity, and endurance.
A funeral Mass will be held at St. Martin of Tours in San Jose on Tuesday, October 20, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. with burial at Santa Clara Mission Cemetery to immediately follow. Friends and family are invited to the Remembrance Reception at the Maridon Reception Hall at Lima Family Mortuary in Santa Clara at 1:00 p.m. There will be a public viewing on Monday, October 19, 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m with rosary at 6:00 p.m. at Lima Santa Clara. Donations to Ventana Wildlife Society in memory of Alex Vago are welcome in lieu of flowers.
