Vicente (Vince) Esparza Jr.

Vicente Esparza Jr., a fly fisherman, Mason, genealogy scholar, church and gym goer, volunteer, husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and friend to all, passed away at home in Idaho Falls, Idaho, August 2, 2026 at 88 years old. He will be joining more fraternal organizations, tracking down old family members for his genealogy studies, and will be refining his hobbies once he gets settled in his new place.

The son of immigrants, Vicente was raised with a very strong faith. He was born in El Paso, Texas on Halloween, 1937. He grew up though high school surrounded by a large, extended family and one of 4 siblings. Eventually, the family moved to Los Angeles, California where he worked for the post office and, as multi-generational living is traditional in Hispanic families, he lived with his parents until he graduated from Northrop Institute of Technology at the age of 29. The first in his family to graduate from college, he began work as an aeronautical engineer for Lockheed. His career would eventually lead to working on the first space shuttle.

He met Trudy Landes on a blind date. She was a southern farm girl from Virginia at her first nursing job at Stanford Medical Center. Luckily, Trudy liked Mexican food, and Vince liked her, so they got married in 1968. Although at first glance the couple seemed non-traditional for those times, they beat all odds and bought a house, had two daughters, and Vince joined the Methodist church. Trudy learned to make Mexican food.

The small family moved to Idaho Falls in 1976 for Vince to take a job with the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. Vince missed his big, loud, Mexican family, despite Trudy’s chile rellanos. In Idaho, he rediscovered and grew a greater pride in his Mexican heritage. Because he remembered growing up he wasn’t permitted to speak Spanish in school, he tried holding (a not so popular) Saturday Spanish class for his daughters. The language lessons didn’t last, but the love and connection to his family, background, and heritage did.

Vince was very social, and luckily Trudy was also. They had close neighborhood friends, good church friends, and were heavily involved in the girls’ school organizations. Vince was very active in Eagle Rock Lodge 19 of the Masons, the YMCA, the Community Food Basket, drove go-carts for the Shriners in parades, and was a member of Trout Unlimited. He served several mission trips to Honduras with the Methodist Church. He had a drift boat and loved fly fishing any chance he got. There were always people he looked forward to seeing at the gym and at regular coffee gatherings. Vince was a friend to all, always lending a helping hand in any way he could whether that be teaching English or driving lessons, securing housing for folks that needed it, assisting with medical or legal paperwork, helping neighbors send their kids to church camp, or providing respite space for families in need, Vince was forever doing all the good he could, in all the ways he could, with all the means he could, in all the places he could, at all the times he could.

Vince was preceded in death by his parents, Vicente Esparza Sr, (1995) and Romelia Isabella Lopez, (1997) and his sister Maria Romelia Esparza (2024). He leaves behind his wife of 58 years, Trudy Elaine Landes, two daughters, Maria (Brian) Davis, Kara (Alan) Lattimer and the grandkids, Garen (Cassi) Shawback, Ellia Shawback, Roen (Addy) Shawback, Preston (Amy) Lattimer, Miranda Lattimer, and one great grandson, Gage Shawback. He has two surviving brothers, Louis (Nancy) Esparza and Oscar (Erna) Esparza and many many nieces and nephews and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Trinity United Methodist Church in Idaho Falls, Eagle Rock Masonic Lodge Hospice #19 or Hospice of Eastern Idaho. Or really, Vince would have loved if you just did something to lift up someone that needed it. Services will be 10 AM Friday August 14 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Idaho Falls, with a visiting gathering at 9AM, and a light lunch afterwards.

There are options for online viewing at https://www.idahofallsunitedmethodists.org/connect.