I remember Vince as a young kid when he and his cousins, the Medina boys, were running around. These boys have always been somewhere between younger brothers and nephews to me, and I’ve loved seeing them all grow into young men. But when I picture them as kids, I can’t get the image out of my head of Vince in his polo and perfectly combed hair hanging with the Medina boys, who were much more into roughhousing and causing a ruckus (still good kids). Vince just loved his cousins and wanted to hang with them. He grew into an amazing man and father figure for his kids, as did all the boys.
Vince later would come to me for career advice and we’d go to lunch. He’d offer to pay every time and was so thoughtful and respectful. He was always so appreciative of our conversations and I just loved being someone he’d reach out to for guidance. One time he offered to take me somewhere to buy a beer. He suggested a taco place and was so bummed out that they didn’t offer beers. 😆. It just gave us a reason to get lunch again another day, which again I wouldn’t let him pay.
As anyone that knows Vince, he was always such an athlete and when he got into running he kept inviting me to join him. I always said I’d consider it and then asked him to join me mountain biking. He said, “sure, I’ll go” but I think he underestimated the difficulty. When we were half way up our ride he let me know it was harder than he expected . He powered through and told me I owe him a run. We talked about it a few times but am sad that we never made it happen. I wished I had the chance to join him on his passion. Now I know I need to do a long run in honor of Vince…
Another memory I want to share is about our fantasy football league. The league is named Bears Lopez League because you have to be a Lopez, related to a Lopez or a Bears fan. He joined some years back while living outside of Utah. Since I was the commissioner, he would always call me and give suggestions, ask about rules, complain about random things, but he always thanked me for running the league and somehow always put together an awesome team. He won three years, which was the most of anyone listed on our trophy. This year, with his passing, we decided to honor Vince and name the trophy “The Vince Romero Trophy” like the Vince Lombardi Trophy in the NFL. A small silly gesture but we were all so happy to honor and remember Vince for his accomplishments in the league.
More recent memories from this summer are more examples of how Vince was such a light and always so polite. We exchanged a text after my daughter Karlie’s graduation. He was so thoughtful to share his conversation with Karlie and tell Amanda and I how proud he was of her. He also called himself a Tio to my girls. 💙 We were so glad he and Edilea made it to see her even with Nadia staying home with Lorenzo not feeling well. Later in the summer, we were so happy to have spent Edilea’s 1st birthday with him, Nadia and the kids. Such a beautiful home and beautiful family.
You will be forever missed Vince!
Nadia, Lorenzo and Edilea, we love you so much. Our deepest condolences, love and prayers go to you all.
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