Justin "Tino" Saragoza, 85, passed away July 18, 2012. Born on Saint Justino day April 14, 1927, to Carmen Saragoza, he was a resident of Nevada for 85 years, spending 54 years in Clark County.
He was raised and schooled in Battle Mountain. His first job was after school at age 13, later at the age of 15 he added a summer job working for the Southern Pacific Railroad. At the age of 16 he drove the Lander County School bus to Copper Basin and Copper Canyon. At 17 he joined the US Navy and after boot camp, he served as a gunners mate on the escort carrier U.S.S. Breton where he bunked underneath a torpedo.
When WW II ended, he joined the Ready Reserve and returned to Battle Mountain. In 1948 he went to work for Dodge Construction building roads throughout Nevada, from Gerlach to Boulder City and the first road into the Nevada Test Site. On July 29, 1950, he married his life companion Paula Troester, bought a trailer home, and they lived in every town in the state of Nevada.
After the birth of their son in Pioche in 1953, they bought a "freedom home" in Henderson with the GI Bill. He went to work for Wells Cargo continuing to build roads and doing ground work for many of the hotels. He was a member of the Operating Engineers Local 12 and retired from Wells Cargo in 1989. He then joined the Masons, the Zelzah Shrine Horse Patrol, and the Scottish Rite. Never one to be idle, he took a part time job as a shuttle driver for the military at Nellis AFB where he drove for 19 years. He was a member of IUOE Local 12 as well as a life member of the Escort Carrier Assn.
He enjoyed traveling to conventions and participating in parades. He loved military airplanes, riding in trains, and driving automobiles. His favorite songs were Tommy Dorsey's "Boogie Woogie", and although he never gambled, Tommy Edwards "All in the Game".
Preceded in death by his mother Carmen Saragoza Gonzales, brother Joe Saragoza, sisters Amelia Arcienega and Angela White, he is survived by his wife of 62 years Paula and their son Justin, brothers Alfred Gonzales of Winnemucca, Chio Saragoza of Battle Mountain, sisters Josepha Leyva of Elko, Josaphine Norden of Reno, and Aralia Long of Winnemucca.
Burial will be at the Battle Mountain Cemetery at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 4, followed by a celebration of the life of a "dedicated employee" 2 p.m. at the Owl Club in Battle Mountain. The family requests donations in Justin's name to the Masonic Charities.
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