For Welder Aaron Santoyo, some of the best memories of Welder Alvaro Vazquez began long before the two became teammates at the Belt.

They met in sixth grade on Chicago’s Southwest Side, growing up only about a block apart. Basketball brought them together first. Santoyo had a neighbor with a basketball rim and backboard, and Vazquez always was eager to play.

“He was goofy. Funny,” Santoyo said. “We had a lot of things in common.”

Sports became a lasting bond. They cheered for the Chicago White Sox, followed football and shared a particular passion for professional wrestling. Santoyo was more interested in the major promotions, while Vazquez searched out independent wrestling events, too.

His enthusiasm for wrestling traced back to childhood. During a hospital stay, Vazquez watched wrestling on television and became a fan of Bret Hart. The interest never faded.

Even as adults, wrestling remained a regular topic of conversation. Vazquez had planned to attend SummerSlam this year and already had made his arrangements.

“For him, it doesn’t matter if I go or nobody goes with him, he’s going,” Santoyo said. “He was going no matter what.”

That same energy carried into his years at the Belt.

Vazquez joined the Belt in 2015 as a trackman, about three years after Santoyo began working here. Santoyo had started as a track laborer before becoming a welder, and eventually the two found themselves working side by side, with Vazquez eventually serving as his welder helper.

The friendship they had built as children became a daily part of their working lives.

“He was a brother to me,” Santoyo said.

On the job, Vazquez was dependable and willing to lend a hand. Whether Santoyo needed assistance welding a frog, cutting rail or handling another task, Vazquez was ready. 

“He also would help out others,” Santoyo said. “He was very responsible.”

Just as important, Vazquez brought an easygoing personality to the workplace. He joked with his co-workers, smiled often and seemed to make conversation with just about anyone.

“He was friendly with everybody,” Santoyo said. “You throw jokes at him, he’ll throw jokes back at you.”

For Santoyo, those everyday interactions are among the memories that remain most vivid. 

“He was always smiling,” Santoyo said. “A lot of people remember him like smiling a lot.”

Vazquez also became part of Santoyo’s family. Santoyo’s father, Artemio, worked at the Belt for more than three decades as a welder before retiring around 2016. He knew Vazquez through the years and came to regard him as family, as did Santoyo’s sisters.

At the Belt, Vazquez’s circle extended well beyond one department. His funeral service on July 5 was attended by many of his Track teammates and family members, a reflection of the connections he had made throughout his life.

“He was a great brother to me all those years,” Santoyo said. “He was a great guy. I wish he was still here.”