My father Armando Vigoa has sadly ended his time here on this earth on August 10,2024. He was born in Cuba on November 17th 1939 the youngest of four children Siomara, Orlando and Nieves. His parents Felina and Sabino Vigoa named him Arnaldo Vigoa but a mix up in the paperwork exiting Cuba changed that but this also allowed him to leave because under his name that never would have happened due to his anti-communism stand.

He is survived by his older sister Siomara, three children Arnaldo, Idalmis, Angel and three grandchildren Arnaldo, Krystal and Emma.

We arrived from Cuba in 1967 with absolutely nothing, yet somehow he managed to obtain his first job in the United States within one day of arriving. He learned by word of mouth they were hiring at the US Naval Base in Long Beach, California. He walked/ran from MacArthur park in Downtown Los Angeles all the way to Long Beach asking directions along the way. This walk/run took all day arriving late in the evening yet they allowed him to apply and exhibit his skills. He had a unique ability to weld very well with either hand and lay a proper bead laying on his back or side in tight quarters even weld in spots only his arm could reach, so they would place a mirror on a broom stick so he could look at the beads backwards from outside the area he was welding. These self- taught talents made him perfect for welding, especially the Bow and Sterns of US Naval Ships during war time. His new boss was so impressed with his unique talents that he was hired immediately as a Civilian US Naval employee and even drove him back to the Hotel we were staying at across from MacArthur Park.

Within that first year of arriving we rented a house in San Pedro across the Street from Point Fermin Elementary School. He purchased a top of the line Magnavox console Stereo. It was a big hit and all the neighbors came over to hear their albums play on this latest greatest record player. My dad with his love of music would gladly comply. I still proudly own and listen to this day. It has given me great joy to have him see, touch and listen to it all these decades later.

He also went on to purchase from Cal Worthington Ford a new white V8 1967 Ford Mustang. He had been given a light blue Fiat 1100 but driving a foreign car into a US Naval base was a no go at the time in US history so the Mustang was well welcomed. We moved to Florida right after the early morning scare of the 1971 Sylmar earthquake. He started working at Cadillac as a body man, he quickly found they were junking cars he thought he could easily fix. He started straightening frames with his self designed homemade frame machine, this was not a thing during the early 1970’s and they were very impressed with what he was able to do.

Then he drove 18 wheelers cross country for a time and later he went on to own a large Diesel repair shop for years in Miami Florida near the airport. He then moved back to California to be near his parents and sisters in 1976.

He went on to work and retire from Pennzoil Oil Company as a mechanic, welder and general Industrial maintenance. He had a knack for figuring out complex mechanical engineering problems, In one example he increased production on the oil canning line by changing the timing of the machinery figuring it all out in his mind. Later they switched from cans to the modern plastic bottles. The new line had many issues that the engineers could not figure out. It caused oil spills and days with no production. This went on for months and many engineers were flown in, even a top team of seven from Japan. My father’s lead “Howey” as my dad called him, believed in him when he said “I can fix it and send these engineers home, they don’t understand the machinery.” Somehow in his mind with no formal education unable to draw mechanical blueprints to show them the scope of his intended refit he not only figured it all out but rebuilt it his own way when he was done this 100,000 square foot bottle line even exceeded predicted maximum production. What he managed to accomplish and the increase in production was so significant to the bottle line filling system that Pennzoil would send a car to pick him and his helper up at the Vernon plant, driving them to the airport. They were flown first class (offered to fly the wives as well) all expenses paid to all the Pennzoil oil production plants in the United States to duplicate what he had done in Vernon, California. One day my father was asked by Howey to look at his Jacuzzi Brand Jet pump as it kept breaking the housing under warranty. He took it all apart and said, “this is no good, I will build you a better one” and did so. Howey was so impressed with how well it worked and how long it had gone without breaking down he removed the new pump designed by my dad and showed it to the Jacuzzi plant in Azusa, California. They were so impressed they called him and we drove down a few days later. They actually asked him if they could buy the design rights to the new style pump. He received a check, signed some papers and he literally changed the way the Jacuzzi jet pump was built from that point forward. I think about that day every time I get in my Jacuzzi.

One morning I received a call at work to come quickly, there had been an explosion at the plant and my father was involved. I was minutes away at my shop when I arrived my heart sank. There were multiple fire trucks and ambulances on scene. He had been welding in a large three to four stories tall tank with the top open when a flame flew out high into the sky creating a large black puff of smoke and was feared dead. When the firefighters climbed in ready to recover the burnt bodies he and his helper were still alive and welding near the bottom of the tank. When asked they said they heard a boom, felt some heat and lack of oxygen for a few seconds but thought nothing of it. A spark from his welder had caused the fire to start about 15 feet above their heads and had self extinguished. After this the employees bought a dozen white T-shirts and neatly wrote the word Puff on them. This would become his new nickname “Puff” because of the puff of black smoke he created days before.

The Good Lord had spared his life yet again one more time allowing us to spend many more years with him. His love of music and singing made him popular at several improv events. He would simply pull out his drum on the beach and start playing and singing where large crowds would begin to gather. He later went on to play with a band on an album. His dyslexia forced him to be self taught but somehow he managed to master many traits during his life from a US Naval ship builder, industrial electrician working with 220v and 440v systems to a humble hobby laying bricks after he retired, he did it all.

These last seven years and eleven months of his life I consider myself fortunate to have taken care of him as dementia started to set in progressively getting worse. He loved his family, loved to fish, loved animals, he loved playing multiple musical instruments especially his Tumbadora (drum), loved to sing, loved to dance, loved boating, loved drawing and loved his cars. He was still singing after eating his lunch just a few days before he passed to his new eternal life. He was definitely loved and he is missed dearly. I learned a lot from this man and I thank him for that with all my heart.