July 23, 1924 - August 18, 2019

Frank Wilson Vigil, age 95, died on August 18th, 2019, at his home in Brea, CA, surrounded by his family.

Frank is survived by his sister, Ruby Gonzales, of Dolores, CO; his five children; Leigh Ann Fowler (Bill) of Acworth, GA, Ron Vigil of La Habra, CA, Karen Vigil of Brea, CA, Mark Vigil (Janice) of Riverside, CA and Kathy Vigil of Simi Valley, CA; three grandchildren; Jonathan, Jason and Mason; and one great-grandchild; Bradley. He is preceded in death by his wife, Helen; his siblings; Nellie, Susie, Alex, Julian, Rebecca, Juanita, Rudy and Rosie.

Frank was born on July 23, 1924 in Dolores, CO, to parents Alexander and Pasqualita Vigil. After graduating from Dolores High School in 1942, he worked summer jobs with the forest service while attending Colorado University for one year, before enlisting in the U.S. Navy in Sept. 1943. He was honorably discharged in May 1946 as a Seaman First Class. He continued his college education where he later graduated from Adams State College in Alamosa, CO. While in college, he met his wife Helen and in 1951, they were married in Alamosa, CO and later lived in Denver CO. After graduating from college, he taught electronics at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver before moving to California in 1954. He accepted a position as a Flight Test Engineer at North American Aviation in Downey, CA (later changed to Rockwell International). He worked on the Saturn/Apollo moon-landing program, Global Positioning System (GPS) program, the Space Shuttle test program supporting launch and orbital operations and finally on the missile defense initiative. He retired from Rockwell International in May, 1992.

Frank was a social, active man who was deeply involved in his family life. He enjoyed fly fishing, bowling, and gambling (poker/blackjack/craps). He had a large circle of friends with who he enjoyed attending plays, traveling both domestic/international and group gatherings.

A funeral mass was held on Monday, August 26th at St. Angela Merici Catholic Church in Brea, CA with the burial service at Memory Garden Memorial Park and Mortuary in Brea, CA. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Dementia Society of America, P.O. Box 600, Doylestown, PA 18901, or made online at www.DementiaSociety.org/donate.