Vicente (Vincent) Mendez Marquez
Vicente (Vincent) Mendez Marquez, age 93, died Monday, October 12, 2021, at Mount Carmel Home in Kearney. A Funeral Mass was held Saturday, October 16, 2021, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Wood River with Father Jonathan Sorenson officiating. Burial followed in Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Grand Island. Memorials are suggested to the American Brain Foundation. Online condolences may be directed to www.apfelfuneralhome.com.
Vincent was born on April 5, 1928, in Coahuila, Mexico. He grew up in Presita de la Cruz, San Luis Potosi, Mexico. There he went to grade school and lived with his family until he came to the United States on his own at age 15. As a young man, he worked as a migrant worker in the sugar beet and potato fields of the United States to support his family in Mexico. It was those fields where he met his “Sugar” Rachel Guerrero. They married on August 17, 1949, in Grand Island, and lived together there and various other towns before settling down in Wood River where they were blessed with and raised three children.
No stranger to hard work, Vincent worked on track for the Burlington Northern Railroad and as a diesel mechanic for International Harvester. He taught his children about hard work, loyalty and pride. He was a well-known mechanic to local farmers for his dependable work on irrigation wells and harvest equipment. He enjoyed customers stopping by the house for his mechanic expertise and could always be counted on to invite them in for coffee and breakfast. In 1970, Vincent purchased a service station and together with his family he ran it as the “Mendez and Sons Super Service” until September of 1973.
Vincent enjoyed gardening and tinkering in the garage. He was an excellent card player and liked to go to the horse races. Mostly, he loved being around people. In his younger years, Vincent loved to attend parties, dance, and sing. He routinely made new friends, and even in his later years brought them home for dinner. Vincent was a great storyteller, and he lived a full life that provided plenty of captivating stories to share.
He is survived by his sons, Vincent Mendez Jr. and Robert Mendez; daughter, Olivia Molina; eight grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; and siblings, Olivia, Alejo, Severino, Herlinda, Ismael, Rosa, and Ramiro Mendez Marquez. He was preceded in death
He was preceded in death by his parents, Lino Mendez Almanza and Refugia Marquez Dominguez; infant daughter; granddaughter, Serita Gamez; great-granddaughter, Lauryn Poff; siblings, Ascencion, Elena, Gloria, and Amalia Mendez Marques; and half-sister, Delphina Ortega.