Died January 4, 2021.

McKinley Elementary School, Bakersfield, CA

Special Education

Obituary:

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.

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. While living there 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 Bachelor’s and Master’s 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.

Nick was a proud member of the Kern County Basque Club. While serving on the Club’s Board of Directors, he oversaw the Scholarship Program. He could be found in the kitchen washing dishes at most Club events. He really did that job well. Nick looked forward to attending Jaialdi in Boise, Idaho, this summer. Jaialdi is a Vizcayno word meaning Basque festival that brings everyone together every five years.

He enjoyed going out to dinner (in the old days), fishing, reading, and listening to the Grateful Dead. The neighbors could find him every evening and most Saturdays and Sundays sitting in the front of the garage smoking a cigar and watching some type of sports show. Nick’s 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 D’Amato, play their sports.

He was preceded in death by his father, Ernest, and his mother, Ora Faye. He leaves behind his wife, Kate Bordagary, his daughter, Mary D’Amato (husband Eric, and their three children, Dominique, Mia, and Karra), 8 siblings: 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 in heaven and will be missed but remembered by family, friends, students, and coworkers.

There will be no service at this time. We want to make sure we can have a real celebration of his life with our family and friends without worrying about anyone else becoming ill with Covid19. We are hoping to hold the celebration in June or July 2021. Contributions in his name can be made to the Kern County Basque Club Scholarship Fund, 2301 South Union Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93307 or the Independence Through GRACE Foundation, 1830 Truxtun Avenue, Suite 101, Bakersfield, CA 93301.