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Vigil Family

Chatter

Volume 10 June 2011

“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

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Dear Family and Friends:

Has it really been over a year since we sent out a full family

newsletter? It is unbelievable how fast time flies.

During these past 18 months much has happened:

We awarded a scholarship to John Lucero in 2010

We hosted the 5th

reunion of the descendants of Juan de

Jesus Vigil in Taos, NM

We added Jose Perez to the Vigil Board of Directors

A dear friend and Board member, Claudia True, lost her

battle with cancer

We awarded 5 scholarships for the 2011 school year

We expanded the types of programs supported by the

Foundation to include Certificate Programs and single

courses that enhance job skills

Thank you to everyone who made the 5th

Vigil Family Reunion

such a success, including the Reunion Chair, Carolyn Romero, the

members of our Board of Directors, and all of the people that

joined our party. We also appreciate the work of Connie Hallahan

who put together the magnificent Family Quilt.

We are starting the process to rebuild our scholarship fund for next

year. Our annual Golf Tournament and BBQ will be held on

Saturday, August 6, 2011 at the Applewood Golf Course in

Arvada, CO. Registration information for the golf or for the BBQ

were mailed in early June. You can also download information

from our website.

We are working with the Front Range Gold Exchange on August

6th

. We are asking family members to either bring their old or

unused gold jewelry to the golf tournament or mail it to us before

then so that we can get 10% of the value of their gold they are

willing to sell.

Juan De Jesús Vigil

Family Foundation

Board of Directors

2010-2011

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

Jose Perez

Phillip Vigil

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“I have dealt with Rodney and Deb and know them. They are fair with their prices and pay

immediately in cash. I have one gold earring I lost the partner to, and a few other things that I do not

wear anymore that I will contribute.” Mimi Vigil

We cannot continue to succeed without your support. Even if you cannot attend the Golf Tournament

and BBQ, please consider making a donation to the Juan de Jesus Vigil Family Foundation. If we

all make a $25 contribution, we can continue to provide scholarships and grants in 2012. Mail your

contribution to the Juan de Jesus Vigil Family Foundation in the enclosed envelope.

Thank you for your continued support of the Juan de Jesús Vigil Family Foundation.

Sincerely,

John H. Vigil

REUNION 2010

5th Vigil Family Reunion

Another Terrific Success!!!! Taos, New Mexico

August 6 – 8, 2010

Neither rain, nor heat nor recession would keep the descendants of Juan de Jesus Vigil from gathering in

beautiful Taos, NM. Approximately 100 people renewed friendships, shared stories, and generally had a

great time. It was great to learn about how we all had overcome challenges, celebrated successes and

remembered those who had passed on over the last 5 years. Many people planned their vacations around

the weekend, rafting, golfing, and shopping in the Taos Square.

The activities began Friday night with light snacks, a few drinks,

and entertainment. The Kachina Lodge holds Navajo dance

demonstrations, a real treat for many of us who do not see this art

form regularly.

Andrea Romero and Dennis Hattan

began selling raffle tickets immediately

for the money tree donated by Lillian

Hattan. It was fun to watch people try to

figure out just how much was hanging

from that tree.

Florida Vigil was autographing her book of poems, generously donating the

proceeds from the sale of her books to the Vigil Family Foundation. The Vigil family Cookbook was

also a hit. What a mix of traditional and not so traditional recipes. We sure have a broad taste for food.

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Saturday was a very

busy day. Half of the

group toured the Taos

Pueblo, learning about

the culture, viewing the

pueblos, and buying food

and jewelry from the

Navajo families.

A few family members

played golf, including Joseph Apodaca, Sr., the senior member attending the reunion. We can only hope

we are able to enjoy so much life with our family and friends when we are in our 90’s.

Saturday was a scorcher, but the kids didn’t seem to mind.

They played games and ate ice cream. Blowing bubbles was

especially popular. It sure made the swimming pool a popular

gathering place.

Saturday night was the main event. John Vigil once again ran

an interesting program. We were welcomed by the Honorable

Mayor, Darren Cordova. Mayor Cordova presented a

proclamation proclaiming “The Vigil Family Day in Taos.”

The Board members presented some of the letters we received

from dignitaries including NM Governor Bill Richardson, US

Senator Mark Udall (CO), and Congressmen John Salazar (CO) and Jarid Polis (CO).

Ms. Anita Lee Murphy provided the Key Note presentation

sharing with us a brief history of Taos and the value and benefits

of genealogy and the study of family. She shared several resources

available to us to continue researching our family history.

In keeping withtradition, John Vigil acknowledged several people

for some fun achievements:

Senior member in attendance: Joseph Apodaca, Sr.

Youngest member in attendance: Braylon Eloy Vigil

Person traveling the longest distance: Anthony Maes (Prague,

Czech Republic)

The Juan de Jesus Vigil Family Foundation presented its 2nd

Lifetime Achievement Award to Carolyn

Romero. Along with being editor of our newsletter, Carolyn has spent more than 25 years reseraching

and documenting the Vigil Family history.

In 1984, Carolyn attended the 1st Vigil reunion in

Albuquerque. The stories she remembered hearing while in

the kitchen of her Grandma, Margaret Belarde Vigil, and her

Aunt Rita (Vigil) Gallino, came to life as names and faces

were joined. She was fascinated by how such an eclectic

group of people were intertwined as a result of the life

decisions of one man and one woman.

David Raskin, Anita Lee Murphy, and

Mary Alice Raskin

You did a wonderful job this weekend

at Taos. Thanks for giving us all a

good time with the Family this

weekend. You’re awesome, thanks

again!

~J.R. Vigil~

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She started with developing a database of the family members she met in

Albuquerque. The hours turned into years as she contacted people for

information and began reading in the Denver Public Library. In 1986, she

started taping conversations with the elder members of the Vigil family.

Now there are over 100 tapes of stories going back to memories from the

early 1900s to present day.

We look forward to when Carolyn publishes her 2nd

book about the Juan

de Jesus Vigil family.

Dennis Hattan, one of the Vigil

family poets, traveled from Illinois to

share his recent poem, “They’ll be

With Us Always”, dedicated to the Family Reunion. We have

included it in this newsletter so you can enjoy it, too.

Before the entertainment started, it was announced that JoAnne

Phillips was the winner of the money tree.

We were treated to something special when John Chandler pulled

out his guitar and began singing for us. It was just a prelude to the

program he would provide on Sunday.

The sun was bright once again on Sunday. The conversation shifted

to the silent auction and who would be the winner of the Vigil quilt.

We egged each other onto buy more raffle tickets. Thank you to

everyone who donated a square, and to Connie Callahan for putting

the quilt together. The winner was Julia Walker Romero from

California.

Mimi Vigil once again coordinated the auction for the many items

generously donated, to raise additional funds for scholarships. Of

course there was more food and more conversation and LOTS of

pictures, too many for this newsletter.

We will be updating

the website shortly,

adding a section for

the 2010 Reunion.

We also plan to add a

section for each of

the 5 reunions that we

have had. Do you

remember what you

looked like 25 years

ago?

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ONE MORE REUNION THING

We have a few items still available for sale:

Short Sleeve Shirt - Large (5 left) $15.00

Books:

Trujillo Creek in Early Days $ 7.50

– 4th

Edition

By: Anne Lucero

Vigil Family Cookbook $15.00

By: Andrea Romero

Embracing Life: Poems that Inspire

the Heart and Soul $14.95

By: Florida Vigil

Vigil Family Directory (1 left) $ 5.00

Contact Carolyn Romero at (303) 514-0620 or

carolyn.romero@comcast.net for more

information.

Hi Carolyn,

I received the quilt today.

I was completely amazed

at how beautiful the quilt

looked. It brought tears to

my eyes. I feel very

fortunate to have this and

am looking for a place to

display it in my home.

Please thank all those who

contributed to the making of this wonderful piece

of family history.

Thanks Again,

Julia Walker Romero

REQUEST FOR MORE

ORAL HISTORIES

Since July 2005, we have obtained the oral

histories for more than 70 people. If you are

willing to participate in this project, please

contact Jan Lindgren at jan@lifesreflections.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.

A note from Jan Lindgren:

Since the Vigil reunion in 2005 I have given

each of you interviewed a free copy of your own

tape/s.

I have kept an audio taped copy of each of your

interviews over the years and would like to offer

you an opportunity to have your story converted

to cds or a zip drive. The process is time-

consuming as it has to be played minute to minute

so the cost is $40 per tape. Once you have those

cds you can make as many copies on cds, zip

drives, etc. as you wish.

For those prior to 2005, I have a copy of each

person’s story as does Carolyn and I can make

you or your immediate family a copy, knowing

you haven’t heard your own story.

Check out my website www.lifesreflections.com

to see what has been written about the Juan de

Jesus family!

FOUNDATION UPDATE

In August 2010, the Scholarship and Grant

committee met and selected one outstanding

student to receive a scholarship from the Juan de

Jesús Vigil Family Foundation.

John Lucero resides in Thornton, CO and is

currently attending Heritage College in Denver,

majoring in Esthetics. He was recently named

"Outstanding Student" for the year 2010. John

attended the 2010 Vigil Family Reunion and

thanked everyone for the opportunity to continue

his education.

In June 2011, as a result of the successful reunion

and your generous contributions, we awarded 5

more scholarships.

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Andrew Apodaca will be attending Red Rocks

Community College studying to be a Sports

Trainer.

Amanda Vigil is attending Trinidad State Junior

College studying Nursing.

Benique Lucero is attending the University of

Phoenix studying Accounting.

Sarah Oates is attending Eastern New Mexico

State University and is enrolled in the Pre-Med

program.

Adam Vigil will be attending the University of

Colorado, Boulder studying Political Science and

Pre-Law.

NEW: The Board of Directors has added grants

for people who are not attending full degree

programs. The grant committee will meet

quarterly to approve requests for funding for

Certificate programs or for individual classes to

help the applicants increase their job skills.

Applications for scholarships and grants can be

downloaded from the website or contact John

Vigil at (303) 650-0470 or jhvigil1440@msn.com

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

CARL RIO (Hilario)

We are happy to

announce the birth

of our new great

grandson, Carl

Rio, born

11/1/2010 at 8:38

am; 7 lbs 11 oz

21 1/2 inches long.

He was born at

Boulder Community Hospital.

Love,

Rosemary and Carl Salazar

ELIAS CRUZ SALAZAR (Manuel)

Well here he is, my 1st great

grandchild. I don't know how

that happened but isn't he

just a bundle of joy and so

very handsome already.

Born: 8/16/2010

Daddy: Elijah L. Salazar

Mommy: Ayrin R. Valdez

(Herald)

Rose Therese Vigil

SAD GOOD BYES

ROBERT APODACA (Celedon)

(Excerpt from Life’s Reflection Interview on 5/15/2007)

When I worked at American Linen I met a good

looking gal named Georgia. I was very interested

in her. She is still good looking. She grew up in

Denver and is Catholic like me. She has two

brothers and two sisters. Her maiden name is

Lomeli, which is Mexican and Italian. I got along

with her parents very good; they treated me well.

We were married in 1972. We drove to

Yellowstone for our honeymoon that year. It was

our first time up there and it was pretty

impressive.

We had one child together, Robert J. Apodaca,

also known as Bobby. He was born in 1973. He

started school in Arvada and then he went to

Arvada Junior High then Arvada High School. He

was involved in Little League and very interested

in football and baseball. I went to all his games.

We often went fishing and camping on the

Western slope.

The best vacation was when we went to

California as a family. We would visit my sister

Judy and Georgia’s side of the family. We would

also go sightseeing and went to Disneyland.

Bobby was just a few years old at the time. When

my son was growing up was the happiest time of

my life.

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Over the years I have learned a lot about myself

and about relationships. The best advice I can

give you on marriage is that you have to work on

it. It takes a lot of work. You have to have a lot of

trust and work together. And keep the lines of

communication open. The best advice I can give

to you on life is to take care of your family.

STEVE VIGIL (Celedon)

May 23, 1954 - July 4, 2010

Steve, 56, was born in Denver,

Colorado to Celedon and Rita

Vigil and raised in Lakewood,

Colorado. He passed away while

camping and boating at Chatfield

Reservoir.

He graduated from Alameda High School,

became a master plumber and obtained a

Colorado State Master Plumber License - Class

A. Steve earned a BS degree in Business

Administration through the University of

Phoenix.

Steve worked with his father, Cel, in plumbing

and mechanical contracting before starting his

own business. Steve was troubled by many health

issues which affected his ability to continue in his

profession but he continued to dabble in his trade

and then became very active in his church.

Steve loved his family, especially his children.

Steve relished any opportunity to be with any or

all of his grandkids. Steve was a good father,

grandfather, son, brother, nephew and cousin. He

was a wonderful friend to many and took great

pride in helping and mentoring young people to

turn their lives around. He was active in his

church providing counsel and guidance to many.

Steve loved the music of Stevie Nicks and

Fleetwood Mac. He would always say Stevie

Nicks was his baby. He would brag about the

Stevie Nicks concerts he attended and figuring

out ways to get closer to her. Once he was able to

touch her and even took a very close photo of her.

Boy was he slick! He enjoyed playing his bongo

drums and had reignited his love of playing

guitar. He longed to ride a Harley Davidson

motorcycle again and loved to share stories of his

Harley adventures. Two of his favorite pastimes

were boating and fishing. Steve was also famous

for his flirty attitude with beautiful women. He

loved to make pretty women blush and he was

good at it. Steve had a great sense of humor. He

loved to harmlessly tease his family and friends.

Steve lived his life to the fullest to his last day

with several of his loving children by his side.

Steve will be missed by many but he will always

be with us in our hearts and the beautiful

memories he helped create with so many of us.

GABRIEL VIGIL (Manuel)

February 14, 1947 - April 5, 2010

Gabriel Merced Vigil joined the Navy at the

young age of 17 and retired from there with an

honorable discharge on June 27, 1968. He retired

from the post office in OH.

He made his home in OH, up until he returned to

his roots in Aguilar, CO in 2005.

Claudia True Juan de Jesus Vigil Foundation Board Member

Claudia True was born in

Tunica Mississippi on Aug

16, 1953. She joined the

Army in 1970 where she

served as a helicopter

mechanic and attained a

Marksmanship Badge

(M16).

Claudia earned her BA from

Metro State College and her

Masters Degree in Social

Work from Denver University. She received

training from the Ministry of Peacemakers where

she was very involved and taught class in homes

and different church's in the Denver area.

She is survived by her husband Mark and 2

brothers and 1 sister. Claudia was also the co-

owner of Butts Rental where she worked part-

time.

She was a personal true friend of Rosemary

Salazar who recruited her and her husband Mark

to serve on the Vigil Educational Foundation

Board. We will all miss her.

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FAMILY NEWS

WEDDINGS

Rose Therese Vigil and Jose Perez were

married on April 23, 2010.

I now have another

bit of news for you

all....brace

yourselves. Jose

and have tied the

knot. All was very

impromptu. We

applied for the

license one week

and on Friday, 4/23,

went to

the Littleton

courthouse.

James Vigil and Nicole Valdez were married on

August 21, 2010

300th

ANNIVERSARY OF ALAMEDA, NM

On January 2, 1710, the lands constituting the

Alameda Land Grant which included lands where

the village was located to Corporal Francisco

Montes Vigil and shortly thereafter, on January

27, 1710, he was formally placed in the

possession of these lands.

It is my understanding that Corporal Francisco

Montes Vigil was the great grandfather of Juan

De Jesus Vigil. This information and event was

called to my attention by our cousin Agnes Vigil

Birosak.

John and Jackie Vigil attended Heritage Day

Celebration on May 15-16, 2010. In attendance

were Agnes and Jack Birosak representing the

descendants of Col. Francisco Montes-Vigil, the

original recipient of the Alameda Land Grant

granted by Spain and based in the village of

Corrales, NM.

LOOKING FOR PICTURES

Hello, my name is James. I was going through

your photo gallery and noticed a picture of my

grandfather's aunt Encarnacion, wife of Hilario

Vigil. I was just wondering if you had any other

old pictures of, the Herrera family. Please let me

know I'd really appreciate it.

James Herrera jdherrera66@gmail.com

BE PART OF THE FUTURE

As we mark the 5th anniversary of the Juan de Jesús

Vigil Family Foundation, it is amazing to stop to

acknowledge the opportunities and dedication of our

wonderful family.

In January 2011, Jose Perez (Rose Therese’s husband)

joined the Foundation Board. Jose has an accounting

background and will be helping with the website.

Phillip Vigil joined the Foundation Board in June

2011. Phillip recently published a book entitled Early

Roads to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. We are

working with Phillip to permit you to order a copy of

the book from our website.

The Foundation is searching for three more 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 who are just

willing to just get involved. Call Carl Salazar at (303)

429-4105 for information.

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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 $2,500 to one deserving student during 2010. The demand for scholarships

increased in 2011, resulting in5 scholarships awarded.

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.

We would like to thank our 2010 donors for their generosity and support of the Juan de Jesús Vigil Family

Foundation. They are: Torchbearer - DIAM OND (> $1,000)

Carolyn Romero

Torchbearer - Platinum ($500 - $1,000)

Mark & Claudia True * John H. and Joyce Vigil * Rose Therese Vigil * George and Florida Vigil

Torchbearer - Gold ($250 - $500)

Agnes Birosak * George and Florida Vigil

Financier ($100 - $249)

Joseph D. Apodaca

Dr. Donald Bruno

Lillian Hattan

Alex Reuter

Mary Romero

Bernice Vigil

Friend (< $100)

Jamie Brown

Carol Ann Crow

Dorie Ann Foust

Janyce Lindgren

Anne Lucero

Diane Mason

Matilda Mestas

Nelson & Company

Novak Agency

Dave & Gloria Nugent

Carl & Rosemary Salazar

Pauline Salazar

June Valentine

Brett Vigil-Gowen

John F. Vigil

Mimi Vigil

IN M EM ORY OF

Robert Apodaca * Francis Chisolm * Vince Co bo

Carolyn Romero John H. and Joyce Vigil Ann Zelma Cobo

M ARY HURTADO * JERRY ROM ERO

Anne Lucero Dorothy McQueen

IN HONOR OF

M r. & M rs. Joseph Hattan

Carolyn Romero

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.

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THEY’LL BE WITH US ALWAYS

While seeing all of you here together as a Union

I feel the strong pride of this Family reunion

I see the love between sisters and brothers Mothers

and fathers and so many others

I’m taken back to memories of the past

With family together having a blast

Memories of stories about people I never met

Others that have past whom I’ll never forget

They’re still in my heart like so many others

Some mothers, some fathers, some sisters, some

brothers

Let us not forget those who could not be here

And bring them here in our hearts and minds

For they’ll always be with us

In this family of love

By: Dennis Hattan 08/02/2010

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JUAN DE JESUS VIGIL FAMILY FOUNDATION ANNUAL GOLF OUTING

And BBQ Cookout

Save the date APPLEWOOD GOLF COURSE

AUG . 6TH 2011 GOLDEN, CO 80401

TEE TIME: 2:00 PM

100% of the net proceeds support the Scholarship program. Please help by: 1. Sponsoring a hole HOLE SPONSOR

2. Sponsor a team GOLD $500.00 INCLUDES TWO FREE PLAYERS

3. Be a golfer ($100 per player SILVER $300.00 INCLUDES ONE FREE PLAYER

4. Come to the BBQ BRONZE $200.00

For Information, Contact: Carl Salazar 303-429-4105, csalazar41@msn.com

4745 Coffeetree Dr. Loveland, CO 80538