Vigil Family Chatter Volume 8
March 2010 PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Juan De Jesús Vigil Family Foundation Board of Directors 2009-2010
I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for the outstanding support you gave our Second Annual Golfing and Picnic Event, August 23, 2009.
Executive Committee John H, Vigil, President JoAnn Phillips, Vice President Mimi Vigil, Secretary Carl Salazar, Treasurer Carolyn M. Romero, Member at Large Members Rosemary Salazar George F. Vigil Rose Theresa Vigil Beverly Vigil Sasse Mark True Claudia True
“Educación es la luz del mundo” Education is the light of the world The Juan de Jesús Vigil Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization established in 2005 by the descendents of Juan de Jesús Vigil dedicated to maintaining opportunities for scholarship and grants to qualified descendants of Juan de Jesús Vigil.
www.juandejesusvigilfoundation.com
I would like to thank Carl, Rosemary, Mark, and Claudia for planning and organizing the golfing event. I also want to thank the volunteers, Gary and Ime Salazar, Jeffrey Vigil, Maurice Montoya and Joe Padilla who were all instrumental in the success of the Golfing event. A big thank you to Cong. Rep. Jared Polis, Cong. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, St. Sen. Lois Tochtrop, St. Rep. Cherylin Peniston, Realtor Lori Grunewald, Attorney Scott Gessler, and Beverly Sasse, Carolyn Romero, Carl Salazar, JoAnn Phillips, and Josh Hattig for also sponsoring golfers for the event. Thanks to the following who made the Picnic work, JoAnnPhillips (organizing), Carolyn Romero (accounting and pre-sales of tickets, etc.), George and Florida Vigil, Beverly Sasse, Rose T., Jan and all the volunteers who helped support the picnic event which included: Jim Romero and Jerry Phillips (barbecuing), Andrea Romero, and Ed and Steve Sanchez. Thanks and kudos to those who manned the entrance gate in such hot weather: Jackie Vigil, Jeri, Jim, Ally, Carley, and Tyler Elliott, Rose T. and friend, Beverly and her grandchildren, Thank you once again, Mimi, for organizing the Silent Auction and thanks to all the people who contributed numerous items. And a very special thanks to Mark and Claudia who made available all the equipment from Butt's Rental......the fans were also lifesavers. Obviously, this was another team effort that would not have been possible without all the support of the Board Members and the wonderful volunteers who stepped up to the plate on that day! I hope I have not missed anyone, Mil gracias! If I missed anyone, please forgive me as I have tried very hard not to leave anyone out! 1
This was indeed an OUTSTANDING team effort. On Sunday, November 8, 2009 the Juan De Jesus Vigil Family Foundation elected the following officers as follows: John H. Vigil, President; Jo Ann Phillips, Vice President; Mimi Vigil, Secretary; Carl Salazar, Treasurer; and Carolyn Romero, Member-at-Large. Carolyn has also agreed to assume the over-all coordination duties for the 2010 Vigil Family Reunion in Taos, New, Mexico, August 6-8, 2009. Please mark your calendar and plan on joining us for the 5th Vigil Family Reunion for family fun and an exciting time.
Dig out your photos to share. (Editor’s Note: The file that included the photos scanned at the last reunion in Trinidad has been corrupted. Please plan to bring them again, or scan and email them to Carolyn Romero.) We need your help to plan this fun event. We also are looking for suggestions for entertainment. Do you sing? Do you play the guitar? Would you be willing to share your talents? Join the planning committee working in the Denver area or logistics committee in New Mexico. Contact Carolyn Romero at (970) 663.1430 or Carolyn.romero@comcast.net to join the fun.
Sincerely,
V is for the voices of our past calling I is for the ideology we have as a family G is for the great memories that will be made I is also for the ingenious people who help to
John H. Vigil
make it happen L is for the love that will be in the air
REUNION 2010
5th Vigil Family Reunion Taos, New Mexico August 6 – 8, 2010 Kachina Lodge Best Western (800) 522-4462 Choice of 1 king bed or 2 queens
$89 + tax
Mention that you are with the Vigil Family Reunion to obtain the group rate. If there are any problems or special requests, please contact Cheryl in sales at (575) 770-4492. Friday, August 6
General networking and catching up at Kachina Lodge
Saturday, August 7
Breakfast Buffet Day/Lunch Excursion – Taos Pueblo Golf outing Dinner and Silent Auction
Sunday, August 8
Breakfast at the Kachina Lodge Picnic Lunch
R is for remembering our ancestors E is for the economy and how it is affecting us all U is for the underlying faith we have in God N is for how nice it will be to have you there I is also for the importance of each and every one of us to attend O is for the openness we have for your ideas to make it better N is also for how now is the time to prepare for the reunion 2010 is the year, New Mexico is the location The 2010 Vigil Reunion needs your presence Please try to attend By:
Dennis Hattan 2/23/2010
Please start planning to bring something to donate to the silent auction.
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OUR WEBSITE ADDRESS HAS CHANGED
Hillside Congregation and a faithful Jehovah's Witness for fifty-two years. Vince Cobo August 20, 2009 (Isidoro)
To accommodate our changing website design, we have changed our ISP and our website address. Please note that our new website address is: www.juandejesusvigilfoundation.com
WELCOME TO THE FAMILY
Braylon Eloy Vigil (Born January 22, 2010) Parents are Brandon and Jenny Vigil (Celedon)
Amaya Lynn Vigil (Born January 24, 2010) Parents are James Vigil and Nicole Valdez (Celedon)
SAD GOOD BYES
Vincent Cobo was born in Walsenburg, Colorado to Vicente and Casilda Cobo. He graduated from Aguilar High school and joined the U.S. Navy during WWII. He later worked at a variety of jobs, including coal mining. Vincent married Ann Zelma Vigil in June 1954 and made their home in Aguilar, where they raised three children: Kathy, Doris, and Larry. In 1953, he began working for the Colorado Department of Highways in Aguilar. For 30 years, Vince patrolled and maintained the interstate highway between Aguilar and Trinidad in all kinds of weather. Vince enjoyed fishing and hunting. He was a long-time member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, retired volunteer fireman, and a dedicated member of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church. Mary Hurtado February 3, 2010 (Antonita)
Agnes Vigil December 5, 2009 (Juan Bautista)
Agnes Vigil, beloved mother, grandmother, and great grandmother passed away December 5th, 2009 in Colorado Springs. Agnes was born in Delagua, Colorado on December 21, 1924. Her husband, Edward Vigil, preceded her in death. Agnes is survived by her brother, Andrew Martinez of Colorado Springs, and her sister, Francis Casias of Salt Lake City. Agnes is also survived by seven children and eight grandchildren. Agnes was a member of the
(Excerpt from Mary’s oral history) I would be glad to take you to Trujillo Creek sometime. The house that I grew up in was a three room house in Gulnare. It is not there anymore. When grandma came to live, I shared a room with her. She had a stove and a bed in the room. She would try to cook once and awhile. My home I have now is about 100 years old. It has two bedrooms and a big size living room. My husband made rooms downstairs. My kids never complained. They all went to college. You should 3
see one of the houses that my cousin Fred Trujillo did up there. His granddaughter has the house up there. She does not live up there but she keeps it so nice. Sometimes I would go up there and say to myself how come they have it so nice and we lived the way we did? My daughter would say to me, Mom don’t put yourself down. Think positive. FAMILY NEWS
Florida Vigil Releases Inspiring New Poetry book Beauty, life, love, family and prayer are just a few of the experiences featured in the newly released poetry book Embracing Life Poems that inspire the heart and soul, by Florida Vigil. She is no stranger to changes in life. As a geriatric nurse, who has helped families experience celebrations and sadness, Vigil has accumulated vast experiences in the field of aging. While Florida Vigil still works as a nurse, her new book helps to take her passion in a new direction. “I lived my whole life in beautiful Colorado, seeing the blue sky, highest mountains and rolling rivers. It was everyday experiences that seemed to naturally translate into poetry,” says Vigil. She was inspired to start writing poetry after the loss of her brother to lung cancer. Her book is full of poems about life that are universal. Vigil boasts of a rich Hispanic heritage and especially proud of the four Spanish poems featured in the poetry book: Recuerdos, La Voz, Cuida A Mi Madre and Hermanas. Vigil affirms that many Hispanic families live out close family ties and believes that readers will relate to those connections. Vigil’s book published by Dog Ear Publishing is available on both Amazon.com and fine book
stores everywhere. For more information on Embracing Life Poems that inspire the heart and soul or to find out more about the author, visit www.embracinglifepoems.com. RASKIN – RASP WEDDING (Celedon)
Paul Raskin and Lesley Rasp were married on June 20, 2009 at the Metropolis Ballroom in Arlington Heights, IL. It was a wonderful event combining the diverse heritage of both families. AGNES BIROSAK (Juan Bautista)
Dear Carolyn, I talked to John Vigil 3 or 4 days ago and asked if he knew that a town in Colorado was founded by the Juan Vigil family in the 1860s. He said he did not. So – I sent him a copy of the article and pictures that I took of the church and surrounding area. I am sending you the same info. I took the pictures when we passed thru Colorado on our way to Pennsylvania on vacation in September. I think it’s exciting! I guess the family was there for a while – long enough to “found” the area and have it named “Vigil” to this day!!! Then, I’ll bet that the Trujillo’s talked them into settling in Trujillo Creek !??? We did not go any farther than the church so I don’t know if there were any homes – a village. Perhaps next time! ….. My “line” is from Juan Bautista, Fidel – mother was Trinidad Abeyta, daughter of Jesus Maria and Manuelita. My dad married Celia Olona from Springer, NM in 1924. My mom died in 1986 at the age of 84 and my dad died in 1995 at the age 4
of 95. I sure miss them and wish I had paid attention when they would talk about their youth, relatives, etc. Now I have so many unanswered questions. I’ll close and look forward to the reunion in Taos!! Thanks for all your efforts on our behalf!! Love, Agnes Vigil Birosak
Editor’s Note: I have not researched the origins of Vigil, CO to determine which members of the family were responsible for its name. If you have information, please forward it to me. Dennis Hattan (Celedon)
Dennis shared a photo of their snow sculptures. You have to do something with that snow.
Johanna Olivarri (Isidoro)
All is well at the Olivarri house in Texas. We've had a rough two years - our eldest son was diagnosed with cancer in May of 2007, had surgery and treatments and things are looking good at the moment. He also got married in May of 2008 so we will have an addition to add to our family when you all send the information out for updates. We are planning on attending the next reunion we missed the last one due to illness in our family. Please keep our son Jeff in your prayers... Talk/see you soon!! Jjo
Julia Madrid and Daniel Vigil (Hilario)
At the 47th annual Century Family Picnic on July 25, 2009, Julia Vigil Madrid and Daniel Vigil accepted a Century Family award on behalf of the Juan de Jesus Vigil Family. Jose Hilario, one of Juan de Jesus and Maria Bustos’ children married Encarnaciόn DeHerrera. Their son Fernando was born on May 10, 1891. Encarnaciόn lived to be 101 years old and continued to live on the family homestead until her passing. Her son, Fred, married Sinforosa Passarelli. They farmed the homestead and Fred worked in the area coal mines. Fred gave an account in a previous interview of his on the ranch and remembered his uncles going on buffalo hunts. Just 4 months short of his 99th birthday, Fred passed away in 1990. Julia Vigil Madrid, Fred’s daughter, accepted the honor along with Daniel Vigil, her son. NOW ACCEPTING VIGIL SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS
It’s that time again – time to apply for scholarships. If you are planning to attend college during the 2010 – 2011 school year, apply for a Vigil Scholarship. Download your application from the Vigil website: www.juandejesusvigilfoundation.com The deadline for this year is May 31, 2010.
WE NEED YOUR RECIPES
For the 2010 Vigil Family Cook Book. Please send them to Andrea Romero at 4745 Coffeetree Dr; Loveland, CO 80538 or email to Andrea at jetixmaniac19@yahoo.com 5
BE PART OF THE FUTURE
The Foundation is searching for three new board members who are willing to make a difference in the lives of the descendants of Juan de Jesús Vigil through the gift of education. We need people with expertise in website technology, finance or banking, genealogy, and fundraising as well as people who are willing to just get involved. Call Carl Salazar at (303) 429-4105 for information.
REQUEST FOR MORE ORAL HISTORIES
Since July 2005, we have obtained the oral histories for more than 50 people. If you are willing to participate in this project, please contact Jan Lindgren at jan@kidviewz.com or at (303) 980-0432. If you are not in the Denver area, we can make arrangements to take your history over the phone.
LAST CHANCE!!!!! FAMILY QUILTING BEE
We are looking for people willing to donate a 12“ x 12“ square for a Vigil Family quilt. It will be raffled as part of the 2010 Reunion activites. So far, I have received 6 quilt squares commemorating the Vigil Family Crest, the Huajatollas, Celedon Vigil, Celedon’s 3 wives, Ofelia Vigil Apodaca, and a family tree. Please add something to highlight something about your family.
Be creative. You can applique, embroider, machine stitch..... The square can be about your family, hobbies, history. Please make sure that you leave 1“ around the edge for the quilting process. Send completed squares by April 15, 2010 to Carolyn Romero at 4745 Coffeetree Drive, Loveland, CO 80538. LAST CHANCE!
VIGIL DATABASE UPDATE
As we get closer to the 2010 Vigil Reunion, there are numerous tasks to accomplish to ensure a successful event. One of the most critical is ensuring that our contact information is correct. If you have family members that have not been receiving the family newsletter, please send their mailing and email addresses to: Carolyn Romero 4745 Coffeetree Dr. Loveland, CO 80538 970-663-1430 Carolyn.romero@comcast.net There have been many births, marriages, deaths, impacting the Vigil extended family since the 2005 reunion in Trinidad, Colorado. Included in this mailing is a blank form for you to update information for your immediate family. Please help us ensure that your individual family is accurately identified as many etc. as possible. Also, if you noticed errors in the last “Living a Legacy,” please let us know. If you would like to be involved in putting together the next book, please let us know. The more people involved, the greater the possibilities.
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FUNDRAISING UPDATE On behalf of the Juan de Jesús Vigil Family Foundation Board of Directors, I would like to thank you for your past support and contributions. Your gifts are important to our Foundation. As a result of your generosity, we awarded scholarships totaling $3,000 to two deserving students wanting to better their post high school education during 2009. The Juan de Jesús Vigil Family Foundation is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization. The organization was established in 2005 by the descendants of Juan de Jesús Vigil, dedicated to maintaining opportunities for scholarship and award grants to qualified and deserving descendants of Juan de Jesús Vigil. The Foundation is governed by a volunteer board of directors that represent a cross section of our community and who are committed to making a difference for the educational success of the hundreds of Juan de Jesús Vigil descendants. The Foundation honors the name of Juan de Jesús Vigil and promotes our Vigil family legacy into perpetuity. The Mission for our Foundation is to promote educational scholarships, grants, and to provide support to charitable causes that will benefit the descendants of Juan De Jesús and Maria Bustos Vigil. Our goal for 2010 is to award five scholarships. Please help us by returning the enclosed donation envelope with your contribution. Any amount will help and your donation is tax deductible. Thank you again for your continued support. We would like to thank our 2009 donors for their generosity and support of the Juan de Jesús Vigil Family Foundation. They are: To r c h bear er - Pla t in u m (> $500) Carolyn Romero * Mark & Claudia True * John H. and Joyce Vigil
To r c h bear er - G o ld ($250 - $500) Rose Therese Vigil
Fin an c ier ($150 - $249) Heidi Vigil * Joseph D. Apodaca * Lillian Hattan Fr ien d (< $150) Art and Julie Apodaca Novak Agency Jamie Brown Dr. Donald Bruno Carol Ann Crow Richard W Daily LLC
Mary Hurtado Susie Linchevsky Julia Madrid John A. Marvel Diane Mason Matilda Mestas
Terry Nelson David & Gloria Nugent Alex Reuter June Valentine John F. Vigil Montoya Whiteman
IN M EM O R Y O F Vin c e C o bo Carolyn Romero
IN M EM O R Y O F Lo u isE APO D AC A Carolyn Romero
IN M EM O R Y O F ELO Y V ig il Carolyn Romero
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Juan de Jesus Vigil Foundation 4745 Coffeetree Dr Loveland, CO 80538
ONE MORE TIME If you have received only a printed copy of this newsletter, then we do not have your email address. If you received only an email copy of this newsletter, we do not have your mailing address. Please send the missing contact information to: Carolyn Romero 4745 Coffeetree Dr. Loveland, CO 80538 Carolyn.romero@comcast.net
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