DOMINIQUE “NICK” BORDAGARAY
May 12, 1948 - January 4, 2021
Services will be held Friday May 28, 2021 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 900 H Street, with a Rosary at 9:00 a.m. and a Memorial Mass at 9:30 a.m. officiated by Monsignor Stephen Frost.
Dominique Bordagaray, 72, passed away January 4th, 2021, due to complications of COVID19. He died peacefully at Memorial Hospital with his wife and daughter holding his hands. Nick was a caring husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend. He was born May 12, 1948, at St. Agnes Hospital in Fresno, California. He was the oldest child of Ernest Bordagaray and Ora Faye (Roe) Bordagaray Spencer.
Nick graduated from East Bakersfield High School in 1966. He attended Bakersfield College and received an AA in 1969. After graduation he went to Germany to live with his mother and stepfather, Frank Spencer. While there he worked at the NCO Club in Pirmasens, Germany. Living in Europe he was able to travel to many places in Europe, including the Basque Country where he met his extended family.
He returned to Bakersfield in 1972 and began attending Cal State University Bakersfield. During this time he met a neighbor, Kate Drost. They were married on August 26, 1974, at St. Philip the Apostle Church in Bakersfield. He continued going to school and earned his Bachelors and Masters degrees in English and his teaching certificate in 1976. He taught college prep and Honors English at Garces Memorial High School for 15 years. Nick coached the Garces Academic Decathlon Team as well as the women's soccer team. He also taught freshman English part time at CSUB. He switched careers and became a special education teacher in 1997. Since then he worked for Bakersfield City School District with students who have special needs.
He enjoyed going out to dinner (in the mask free days), fishing, reading, listening to the Grateful Dead, and watching any sports show. Nicks favorite teams were the Dodgers, the Forty Niners, and the Blackburn Rovers. He looked forward to completing the LA Times Crosswords every day and telling jokes with his very dry sense of humor. He had great times with his nephew, Trevor Waldon, who would visit and smoke cigars with his uncle Nick. His favorite activity though was watching his daughter, Mary, play sports and later watching his grandchildren, Dominique, Mia, and Karra DAmato, play their sports.
He was preceded in death by his father, Ernest, and his mother, Ora Faye. He leaves behind his wife, Kate Bordagaray, his daughter, Mary D'Amato (husband Eric, and their three children, Dominique, Mia, and Karra), 8 brothers and sisters Michael Bordagaray (wife Brenda), Trish Cobb (husband Mike), Michele Williams (husband Kelly), Jennie Preo (husband Mark), Ted Spencer (wife Dieuwke), Catherine Waldon (husband Grover), Jody Spencer (wife Noelle), John Bordagaray (wife Lisa), many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He is now and will be missed but remembered by family, friends, students, and coworkers.