Our first born, our first miracle, our son Estevan “Vaughn” Rodriguez III was born on August 6, 1992 here in New Haven, CT. He grew up to become a loving and caring son and devoted big brother to Savannah.
After graduating from Eli Whitney Technical High School, he went on to attend Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida where he studied computer game design. He hoped to one day return to Florida, continue his education and be reunited with the large circle of friends he made at his favorite local hangout, Austin Coffee & Film. He grew to adore Florida since his childhood where he spent each summer with his cousin, Marcus, and his paternal grandparents Esteban Sr. “Papa Mino” & Eva “Wita.”
We were incredibly proud of the independent man Vaughn became. To this end, he pursued a variety of careers. He was passionate about cooking and enjoyed learning carpentry from his dad who he affectionally referred to as “Pops.” Together they would work on many home projects. To remain self-sufficient, he would sacrifice his free time by working as an Uber driver.
In spite of having limited time, he published a weekly podcast on gaming entitled “The Face Buttons” on YouTube. His podcast allowed him to communicate his interests with a larger audience throughout the world which included pixel-style games, Legend of Zelda, Crash Bandicoot, Dark Souls, Final Fantasy, plus the passions that he shared with Savannah: all the Marvel movies and Bioshock. He enjoyed watching Hamilton with his mom and together they were looking forward to seeing it live on Broadway. He loved listening to every kind of music which included The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and his favorite, The Who.
Vaughn was always humble. He valued his relationships with other people more than material things. He was content with everything the Lord provided for him. He always spoke his mind even if at times his viewpoints were misunderstood.
September 14, 2020 was the day the Lord decided was going to be his last here on earth. We lay our son to rest this day believing and knowing that he will be in the company of his little sister Stephanie and his maternal grandparents: Eugenia “Wela” and Pablo “Welo.”
We love you Vaughn, we will never ever forget you. Our hearts will never mend but just go on living until we meet again my love. You are leaving many broken, empty hearts who also loved you and will miss you; which includes your best friends: Efrain Carillo (Chito) and Chris Velazquez; and your podcast partners: Gene, Chino & Jose. Thank you, guys for loving our son unconditionally.
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