Rest in Peace

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart and you will find rest for your soul.” Matthew 11:29.

Our beloved Carlos Rubel Vigil (3/21/35-7/2/10) completed his lifelong journey to the gates of heaven.

One of nine siblings, he was born to Jose Demetrio and Celia Atencio Vigil in Capulin, CO. Carlos joined the United States Marine Corp after attending Davis High School in Kaysville, UT. He married Carol Ann Smith in 1957 and began his legacy as a patient and gentle husband and father.

In developing his artistic and creative talents, Carlos moved his family to Great Falls, MT and then Spokane, WA. His prayers for a piece of land just outside the city, where he could work and raise his children, were answered. He created The Art Studio of Carlos Vigil, specializing in fine art and commercial graphics and made a name for himself as an artist in the Pacific NW. His artistic accomplishments range from The Watercolor Society of America, Expo ’74 graphics, NY Museum of Art, Western Art Shows, quick draw competitions, Sacred Heart Hospital, Cheney High School’s mural of Chief Blackhawk, countless watercolor and acrylic paintings, and The Spokane Skills Center where he designed the Commercial Art Program and instructed for 17 years, before retiring. Out of all of his works of art, he considered his family to be his greatest.

Preceded in death by his parents, daughter Denise, sisters Lili and Sylvia, and brother Alfonso, Carlos is survived by his 11 children: Jeff, Greg, Becky, Cynthia, Yvonne, John, Philip, Joanna, Joe, Jennifer, and Nicolas. He continues to be adored by his 5 siblings, 17 grandchildren and gigantic extended family.

Carlos devoted much of his time to helping others become closer to the Lord. He served as an active member of Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral for the past 37 years, and has been involved in countless retreats, prayer groups and ministries. He will be remembered for his smiling eyes, gentle strength, love of family, a vibrant enthusiasm for life, art and music, and an obedient love for Christ.

The cancer suffering has ended. The broken heart has mended. His earthly work is done. The race is finished, and he has won.

Rosary will be celebrated Thurs, 7/8 @ 5:30pm and Funeral Mass will be celebrated Fri, 7/9 @ 3pm followed by graveside service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Carlos Vigil Cancer Fund.

Request for Prayer

Carlos is in the final stages of pancreatic cancer and has been receiving care and bedrest with the help of some equipment from Hospice of Spokane. We are deeply greatful for their involvement and the equipment has helped him to rest. He is currently on intrevenous fluids, to supplement hydration, as well as the use of an oxygen mask to aid his sleep rest. He has lost a considerable amount of weight and is no longer capable of getting around on his own. He's scarcely able to speak for very long, as it is exhausting for him. Nevertheless, he is mentally and spiritually prepared for the road ahead of him. He continues to amaze us with the strength of his character and witty sense of humor throughout this grueling illness. We are asking our friends and family to pray for peace for Carlos and for us, his family during these difficult times. We would also like to extend our thanks to the many wonderful people who have abeen such a tremendous help over the last 5 months. We are eternally grateful. I would personally like to thank my sisters; Vonnie & Jenn, for having the courage to handle Dad's care and personal affairs, in the face of many obstacles & much criticism. -NMV

Appointments

Today dad had the stent removed from his kidney, and tomorrow he goes in to have one placed on his liver. He's been a bit jaundice-y and this will help. He will continue to receive regular IV's for nutritional purposes in addition to his normal diet.

Thank you to all who attended the family prayer/bbq as well as everyone who offered their prayers from afar.

JLV

May 21, 2010

Dad had a trip to the ER yesterday due to some abdominal discomfort. 2 liters of excess fluid was drained from his torso cavity, and he is feeling much better today. He had an appointment this morning to rehydrate via IV and is currently having an ultrasound to check for blockages. Thank you all for your continued prayers. He continues to find humor in the little things. The twinkle in his eyes is still going strong!

Returning Home

Carlos' latest round was successful and he is being released from a long hospital stay to return home. He is feeling much better and the procedures to his kidney
are looking good. Please continue to pray as we're not out of the woods yet. -NMV

Another Kidney Procedure

May 4th, 2010

Dad is headed back in this afternoon for yet another kidney procedure. He has been hospitalized for nearly a week with kidney complications from his last procedure, where a stint was installed to drain excess fluid off his right kidney into a collector, which failed, allowing the fluid to then drain openly into his back & abdomen. Testing showed the fluid to be cancerous so his doctors are attempting more drainage procedures. We continue to pray for Carlos' recovery and ask that you join us in prayer. Dad refuses to lose faith and is a tremendous inspiration to us spiritually. -NMV

Kidney Procedure

Dad's back in this morning for another (and hopefully final) procedure on his kidney. This time, two doctors will be re-routing his right kidney's drainage flow back into the bladder. We are praying that everything goes well so he can begin his chemo-therapy treatments soon. Your continued prayers are greatly appreciated. Dad is, as usual, optimistic and says that he's feeling better despite some stiffness in the knees. He's looking much better than he did at his last visit, however, he continues to lose weight and that has his doctors concerned. In the meantime, he's undergoing some naturopathic cancer treatments until his kidney is healthy enough for him to start chemo. I got to spend the evening with him last night, took him out to Cabela's with my son & father in law to be. It was nice to spend some time with him and hear things from his point of view. He was very charged up after seeing so much familia in the past week. Many relatives from out of town came to visit around Easter weekend. It's not hard for me to see the hand of God at work, within my own dad. Keep prayin'.
-Nicolas Vigil