Vince Hungerford

An enormous heart. A beautiful soul. Vince was the eldest son of John Hungerford of Calgary, Canada and Sophie Armendariz Hungerford of Los Angeles, California. He was born in Torrance where he and his brothers Grant and Glenn spent their early years. When Vince was 7 years old, the family moved to Fountain Valley where he spent most of his childhood years playing baseball with his brothers. Vince met the love of his life, Sonia, at Orange Coast Community College where Vince used to pack extra snacks for Sonia to share during class. They were married a year later in 1989. Vince and Sonia traveled frequently and enjoyed attending concerts and comedy shows. They shared 32 years together raising their sons Vince Jr (30) and Scott (28) who have made them extremely proud. They are remarkable young men who will carry on Vince’s legacy. There are also the beloved four pawed members of the family: Pepper and Lucky, and the late Maggie and Molly. When Vince was home, the dogs were always either lying next to him or on top of him. Although Vince’s health issues presented challenges to the Hungerford family these past few years, the family provided an abundance of love and dedication to Vince and to each other. Vince dedicated his tremendous talents, people skills, and culinary expertise towards his career in foodservice sales. He was well respected and loved in his industry and made life-long friends throughout the years. After working a number of years with Best Foods he joined Girard’s Dressings where he dedicated 19 years of service and loved every minute of it. Vince was determined to return to work after he recovered from his illness and truly believed he would beat cancer and resume his normal work duties. Outside his professional duties, Vince loved spending time with his family, giving back to his community, and playing and coaching sports. When he was younger, Vince would team up with his brother Glenn and play pickup basketball. His team’s objective was to get the ball to Vince because he was the shooter. About 20 years ago Vince started playing golf - a sport he grew to love in his later years. For the past 5 years, he joined his cousins and friends in a year-round golf tournament, the Gonzo’s Hackers Tour. He was a competitive player but mostly he enjoyed the camaraderie of his golf friends. His favorite teams were the SF Giants, New Orleans Saints, and the LA Clippers and his all-time favorite athlete was Willie Mays. He enjoyed watching games with his sons and his friends, and last year he and his wife participated in Vince Jr.’s first annual Fantasy Football League. In addition to watching and playing sports, Vince was also a dedicated sports coach for the City of Tustin for many years. Coach Vince impacted many young men’s lives through his mentorship. Vince had a huge heart and was always willing to help wherever help was needed. Both Sonia and Vince were active participants in school fundraisers and PTO groups such as the Tustin High School Baseball Booster’s and Football Booster’s Club. Vince enjoyed managing the Beer Booth fundraiser at the Orange Street Fair and helping the athletes deliver Christmas trees during the holidays. Every year during Christmas, Vince carried on his family tradition and prepared tamales for his family and friends. He loved the holidays and dressed up as Santa Claus for family gatherings for many years before passing on the tradition to his sons when they were of age. He hosted annual gingerbread house competitions for his nieces and nephews and would display the gingerbread houses around his house for the holidays. Vince also always had an appreciation for flowers. If there was a special occasion or if he had some free time, he would visit the Los Angeles Flower District. He enjoyed looking through the warehouses full of beautiful blossoms almost as much as he enjoyed selecting flowers to take home to Sonia. When people speak about Vince they mention the same characteristics: generous, caring, loving, devoted, loyal, and faithful. He was all of these things and more. Vince wanted to further his faith and was fully baptized into the Catholic Church in September 2019. Vince passed away on June 13th at his home in Tustin, California. He was surrounded by family members and close friends who shared stories about the magnanimous man he was. He fought a long, courageous fight against cancer and he’s finally at peace now. Family members, friends, and co-workers will miss Vince. They will miss his warm smile, his hearty laugh and most of all, they will miss the generosity of his love. A Mass will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 24th at St. Cecilia Church, 1301 Sycamore Avenue in Tustin. If you would like to send flowers please send them on Tuesday, June 23rd to: Saddleback Chapel Mortuary 220 E. Main Street Tustin, CA

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