Vasco Joseph Trentin

Birth: November 21, 1920 | Died: July 16, 2023

    Vasco Joseph Trentin was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island on November 21, 1920 to Giuseppe and Celestina Trentin, Italian immigrants. He had no siblings. As a youngster he would go into Boston to watch the Boston Red Sox play from a tree near the outfield fence. After high school his mother worked several jobs to send Vasco to the Rhode Island School of Design. One of his first jobs was with Pratt & Whitney, building aircraft engines. In 1942 he married Katherin Shors and shortly thereafter his fervent patriotism led him to enlist in the US Navy where he trained in Corpus Christi Texas and served honorably in World War II until discharged as a Seaman First Class in January 1946. Their first son Joseph was born in February 1944 while he was in the U.S. Navy. Vasco moved with his family to California in 1952 where he joined the aerospace industry. His second son James was born in Orange, CA in August 1956. He was first employed with Robert Fulton Controls and later with North American Rockwell in Seal Beach where he was under the direct supervision of noted aerospace pioneer Werner Von Braun. At Rockwell he was a quality control inspector supporting the Apollo program. He once tested the Apollo space suit used in the moon landings and often escorted Apollo mission components sent by ship to Cape Kennedy. Well into his 80’s Vasco served as a scout for major league baseball teams evaluating local high school and college prospects. He was a skilled Texas Hold’em poker player at local casinos and would often be sponsored to go to tournaments outside his area. Vasco was a longtime Sons of Italy member and would often get his Rhode Island hometown friend the late Italian American Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia tickets to Laker games when he was in town. Vasco lost his first love Katherin in 1986 after a union of 44 years. In 1989 he married single mom Jackie Quinn, 20 years his junior, and gained two sons, Ronald and Thomas in the blended family. He provided her love and companionship for 20 years until her passing in 2010. He was a compassionate individual providing home care for family and friends in need, and would often let relatives and friends stay in his home and rental properties for long periods with little or no compensation. He loved his cats and dogs. , Vasco is survived by his sons Joseph and James, grandchildren John (Larissa), Leyla, and Kai, former daughter in law Judith Santa Maria, and her daughter Erika and Jackie’s son Thomas. He resided at his home in Anaheim since 1972. Funeral Services will be at St Anthony Claret Catholic Church, 1450 E. La Palma Ave in Anaheim at 11AM on July 25 followed by interment at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Orange. May he Rest in Peace with the Lord.