YGNACIO S. SAAVEDRA

April 3, 1920-March 19, 2012

Ygnacio S. Saavedra passed away March 19, 2012 after a brief illness at Veteran’s Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. “Nacho” as he was known to his family and friends was born on April 3, 1920 in Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico to Jesus and Maria Saavedra. He was raised in Pirtleville, Arizona from the age of 2 and resided there with his brothers “Pepe, Guero, Chapo and Minnie” and sisters Amanda and Dora. He attended Douglas High School and enlisted in the Army on November 27, 1942 during World War II because “he felt it wasn’t right that his friends had been drafted and he hadn’t but knew that the right thing to do was to go and support them.” He served with 88th Infantry Division, 349th Regiment, known as the “Blue Devil Division.” The 349th Regiment is credited with being the first to enter and liberate Rome on June 4, 1944. He was wounded in action at Sassoleone, Italy in September of 1944 in the Po Valley Campaign. Wounded and paralyzed, he spent one year rehabilitating in Modesto, California. After his return, in November 1946, he married the love of his life, Jesusita Aguilar also of Pirtleville, Arizona. He worked and retired from Phelps Dodge Corporation in 1982. Nacho was a loving and devoted husband for 65 years of marriage and a loving and protective father to Anita Asztalos (Tom), Robert Saavedra (Cindy), Norma Hurtado and Oscar Saavedra. His greatest joys were his 5 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. He will always be remembered by his family for his patriotism, his belief that the world wasn’t right until baseball season started anew, his love for a good dance tune (he was an excellent dancer), his ability to say something funny with a straight face and his stories of Douglas. His mind was sharp to the very end asking questions of the medical staff and putting a smile on their faces. They referred to him as the “gentle, beautiful” man who was often serenaded by the nurses’ aides as they tended to his needs. But the most enduring memory of him will be the way he went about his life in that quiet, unassuming and respectful way that could only be “Nacho.”