It’s been a lot of mixed emotions hearing of his passing today.
My earliest memories of the guy was him screaming at my father. My dad and uncles had given him the moniker of “Crazy Horse” As far as what he was screaming at my father about, who knows? I was maybe 6 or 7, and this was at the Evergreen ranch. A place where my emotions are less mixed about than Vince.
As with most things though, mysteries as a child slowly culminate into bits and pieces of information that you gain over 51 years until finally you understand at least one piece of the puzzle.
“Dad why was Vince mad at you?”
“I gave his daughter something to help her lose weight, and suddenly I was the Heroin dealer of Evergreen!”
Later in life when I was old enough to ask the questions, my dad answered. Even later I’d figure out that he had given her methamphetamine, since several other people close to him at the time comfirmed the basement lab I saw, was for cooking. Later I’d ask my dad,
“Have you seen Breaking bad?”
“I lived it”
As far as my Grandmothers feelings towards Vince though, it’s tough to say. After my grandfather passed, my grandmother stated “Vince was the nicest of the brothers to me” yet she’d also say, “Vince gave Colleen ‘Scarlet Fever’ and that’s why they could only have on baby” She’d also warn me “Don’t go around him, you could set him off!”
Personally, here’s things that I remember.
When my grandmother got my grandfathers part of the partnership, one piece of property was a prune orchard on San Felipe, which is now an old folks home. When I was 13 my uncle Jerome and I built a fence, and a gate. The next day we went there and the gate had been smashed. Vince proudly declared he smashed the gate because “Nobody is going to keep me off my property”
I was talking to him one day, I must have been 14 or so. Lots of cars were going into Evergreen Valley College. “Robert, those gooks are gonna take over, you got to go to college too”
When I started dating my wife at 20 I was introducing her to family and decided to let her meet some family at the fruit stand. At the time my wife was a young, voluptuous 18 year old sporting a nice rack. I swear, Vince could not keep his eyes off her tits. It was obvious. He was talking into her cleavage.
20 years or so later, I called his house in 2012 because I heard he was having health issues, and I wanted to just say hi since it sounded like he was going to pass. “Oh you’re not a single father” my aunt Colleen remarked. What? My marriage has been more rock solid than the MAJORITY of my siblings or my cousins. It’s not even close. Why are they spreading this kind of made up nonsense?
Finally today, where I don’t find out about his service from anyone in the family. Not that it matters, nobody talks to anyone anymore, and Vince didn’t seem to take a shine to me anyways.
Oh ya, one last thing I remember. There’s a rumored illegitimate son.
My grandmother and my father told me about this. My father pointed out to me one day around 2011 or so that Vince had an illegitimate son. He linked me to his Facebook profile. The guy was living in Thailand. Later on I’d talk to my grandmother and get even more details on everything.
Vince had gotten a Mexican woman pregnant, I think after his daughter was born. He completely denied paternity, but apparently the situation got so dire that the mother came to the shopping center livid that Vince wouldn’t take care of his son. It was rumored that my great grandfather Vincente paid her to go away.
I guess summarizing my feelings here… It’s really hard for me to feel sympathy for the guy. I guess he didn’t like me because of my father, but also because he perpetuated some lame rumors about me as well. As far as being a stand up person, I never saw it. I saw a guy that despite the world is saying how great he was, not one single person in my branch said 100% of the time he was a good person. He was lecherous, he was a liar, he had a temper, and he turned his back on his own family. He beat his daughter for christ sakes. I saw the Mercury News say, “Oh but he gave to CHARITY” well ya, that’s part of the act. A man completely wrapped up in his public image, while just shutting out anyone that may have been around to see what he was really like.
I do feel bad for those that are saddened by his death though. In particular my Uncle John. John and his daughters have always had a pretty open line of communication with me when I needed it. Good people, and for them I’m sorry.
**Update**
So I talked to another family member today that gave more details on the illegitimate son. Apparently the buyout involved buying a mechanics garage for the mother. Apparently there were some rumors that this wasn’t Vince’s only illegitimate child, there was several others around San Jose.
Oh.. And one of his Nephew’s walked in on Dom getting a blowjob from his receptionist. LOL. Crazy.