Tributes

Dear friends and family, 'He never gave up'. That sums up the short life of our son and brother Ignacio Lopez, who left us on February 18, 2015. Always respectful, loving and caring, Ignacio is missed by all of us: his family, friends and neighbors. Nacho, as we fondly called him, departed peacefully at his home in Fresno. He was 42. He leaves behind his brother Aaron Lopez, mother Diana Ortiz-Lopez, father Arthur M. Lopez, step mother Anuradha Gajaraj-Lopez and step sister Sahana Ashok Nayak. “He was always kind. We never had to ask him, he would offer his help at any time,” says Viola, his neighbor. We all know that Nacho had his disability that he coped with day after day of his life. But, he was always loved and loving. Hope was a major part of his life, as was great faith in God. He was Catholic to the core, as his mother Diana says. His greatest passion was to care for animals. His many visits to the animal rescue shelters with his mother, gave him much peace in his life. As also, the long walks he took with his father Arthur. During the last years of his life, he adopted a stray cat that he named Katangi. "People usually take their dogs for a walk, but Nacho walked Katangi,"says Aaron, his younger brother. Katangi followed Nacho around his house and outside as well. Katangi is now with Aaron. “He always asked me to stop when he saw homeless people on the streets”, says Diana. He would jump out and hand them care packages of toothpaste, soap and other items. That was our Nacho. Nacho would bring smiles to our faces when he uttered terms like, ‘stylish’, spicyiguana and called his younger brother fondly, 'lob stir' in his own inimitable style. Aaron had an endearing term for Nacho as well, "bouncy tiger" - for Nacho was full of bounce. Dear Nacho, you WILL be missed. We will honor Nacho with a memorial plaque at the Inspiration park, a universally accessible park that is being developed by Resources for Independence Central Valley in Fresno. In addition, we will be setting up a scholarship fund in his name for deserving students in the Rehabilitation Counseling Master's program at California State University Fresno. Family would like to invite you to Arthur M. Lopez and Anuradha Gajaraj-Lopez home at 764 W. Paul Ave., Clovis Ca 93612 for a gathering after the services. We request family and friends to contribute to either of these initiatives in lieu of flowers and other tokens. Please note 'memorial plaque' or 'scholarship fund' on your remembrances and send them directly Arthur M.Lopez. We will keep you posted on these. Your loving family…

Tributes

Ignacio Arturo Lopez

July 2, 1972 - February 18, 2015