The family of Nestor "Net" Vasquez Sr. is mourning his passing this afternoon after he suffered a fatal head injury from a fall yesterday. He passed away peacefully in the presence of his family at Belize Medical Associates.
Net was born on September 8, 1931 in San Pedro Village and lived with enthusiasm and unrelenting energy.
An accountant by profession, he will best be remembered as a nationalist and a patriot. He was also active in the Catholic Church.
Net was one of the founding members of the UDP and was instrumental in getting the party elected to office for the first time 1984.
He was also the founder and owner of Channel 7 getting that television station (Belize's first free to air broadcast) on air in 1981.
His career in positions of public service dates back to the 60's when he led Belize's first Olympic team which went to the Mexico games in 1968.
He served on the Central Bank in the mid-80's, helping to take Belize out of an IMF standby agreement and then moving on to lead the first privatization in Belize, which was BTL in 1988.
Since then he has served on various government and private boards, including chairing BEL and BTL, serving various times on the Central Bank, as well as the Social Security Board, the APBEL Board, and the Integrity Commission.
And tonight in the immediate wake of his sudden passing we hear from his friend and fellow party member Micheal Finnegan who told us that the man he knew as "Net" was one of the best people he has had the pleasure to know. He also expressed his pride at having been associated with Nestor Vasquez Sr. both as a colleague and dear friend.
Michael Finnegan, Family Friend
"I was shocked and I felt the grief because he was closely associated to his beloved United Democratic Party which I am a associated with also."
"I first met Net in 1968 because he was a sport man, I met him just in 1968 because he was involved with the Olympic team that went to the Olympic Games in Mexico City. But I became closely associated with Net Vasquez during 1972 when all the splinters, opposition parties were getting together to form this great United Democratic Party which was formed in 1973 and during the formation of the United Democratic Party, he played an important role in getting all the political parties together. When the party became the United Democratic Party, his role became bigger."
"When the party became government first in 1984 and when we became government again in 1993, and when we became government again in 08 until the last general elections, Net Vasquez played tremendous roles for the party and I want to publicly say that he was among the few good people that I have met in my lifespan. We are all human beings and we all fall short of his glory so, but irrespective of what the situation. Net as far as I'm concerned was one of the better few people that I have met in my lifespan and I am proud to be associated with him."
Nestor Vasquez Sr. is predeceased by his son Nestor, and survived by four of his five children: Adriel, Derek, Mary, and Jules, grandchildren and his wife Hazel.
May his soul rest in peace.
