Gil Richard Vargas, 66, of Dartmouth died December 14, 2001 at home after a brief courageous battle with cancer surrounded by his family.
He was the husband of Frances (Folger) Vargas, to whom he was married for 45 years, and son of the late Grace (Vargas) Klein.
Mr. Vargas was born in New Bedford and had lived in Dartmouth for most of his life. He would have celebrated his 67th birthday on December 29th.
He was a communicant of St. James Church in New Bedford.
Mr. Vargas was formerly employed at Allendale Country Club as head groundskeeper for 25 years until his retirement.
Mr. Vargas served in the U.S. Army, stationed at Ft. Bragg, during the Berlin Crisis. He also served in the National Guard. He was a collector of lighthouses, and enjoyed boating, watching sports, doing crossword puzzles and spending time with his family and grandchildren.
Survivors include his wife; 4 sons, Stephen Vargas and his wife Patricia, Gary Vargas and his wife Nicole, and Paul Vargas and his wife Tammy, all of New Bedford, Richard Vargas of Dartmouth; 2 brothers, Max Klein and John Klein; a sister, Erica Pereira; 7 grandchildren, Sara Vargas, Jenna Vargas, Matthew Vargas, Trevor Vargas, Tori Vargas, Tabitha Vargas and Marissa Vargas; and several nieces, nephews, aunts and cousins.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend his Funeral Service in the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford, Tuesday, December 18th at 11 AM. Visiting hours Monday 5-8 PM. Interment South Dartmouth Cemetery.
In Lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Joslin Clinic for Diabetes, One Joslin Place, Boston, MA 02215 or the American Cancer Society, 30 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701.