LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Vicente Zeta Colacion of Lakeport, California, passed away on Jan. 31, 2025. He was 32.

He is the beloved son of Daphne and Lawrence Colacion, loving brother of Paloma and Maya Colacion, adored uncle of Myla Colacion, doting partner to Jenny Hole and her daughter Stella, and devoted co-owner of his trusted feline-companion Jody Foster. He also leaves his grandmother, grandfathers, aunts, uncles, cousins and countless friends.

Vicente led the life of a true artist. Funny, fun-loving and silly at times, he understood the complexities of life and took both the highs and lows in stride. A true friend to all, Vicente was an equal-opportunity lover, eschewing societal norms to befriend, listen to, and love those who are often overlooked.

Affectionately referred to as a stray cat, he managed to find and create family wherever his travels took him.

Vicente was an extremely principled person with a strong sense of justice, and throughout his life his family was often approached by many expressing their admiration for the exceptional caring and generous human being he was.

Born June 12, 1992 in San Francisco, California, Vicente spent the first years of his life attending San Francisco State University’s Early Childhood Program where his parents attended college.

At 2 years old, he was reading (memorizing) his favorite books in the student union to the amazement of other students. He continued his love for reading throughout his life, constantly collecting and sharing his books with friends.

He lived in Long Beach, California, in his early years, the Santa Cruz Mountains where he welcomed his sisters Paloma (in 1997) and Maya (in 2001), and Antioch during elementary school.

In 2005, he and his family moved to Cobb Mountain, California, where he often played with his little sisters in the pine and manzanita surrounding his family’s property, loved taking the family dogs for hikes in Boggs Forest, spent many a morning turned afternoon chatting with friends and neighbors at the local coffee shop, and built community at the Middletown Arts Center while taking writing workshops and performing at their open mics.

During his younger years he participated in swim team, indoor and outdoor soccer teams, hockey, baseball, basketball, track, cross country, chess clubs, and played the violin. He was a prolific creator with a vivid imagination and often enjoyed setting up elaborate Star Wars scenes with the death star ship and figurines and building intricate legos structures in his youth.

He attended Middletown Middle School, Sonoma Academy and graduated from Pathways Charter School with a high school diploma in 2010. In 2006, he volunteered in the clean up efforts for Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans with a team of students from Sonoma Academy.

After high school, he attended Mendocino College for creative writing and studied journalism at Humboldt State University. He participated in the university’s radio station, published articles in the school’s bilingual newspaper El Lenador, and tutored countless students in English and writing.

In 2022, he lived in Austin, Texas where he made a home with a large circle of friends, enjoyed the music scene, and was awe-struck by the barbecue and the Texas-sized portions. He enjoyed traveling, cooking and feeding others, slam dancing at punk shows, writing poetry and short stories, and sharing his writings during open mics. He began writing poetry at around 12 years old, participated in poetry slams and open mics in countless venues, had his poetry published and was a member of the Lake County Poet Laureate.

In 2024, he moved back to Lake County to reunite with the love of his life and rejoin the community that he spent many years building. He was a top salesman at US Cellular in Lakeport, where he treated his customers as he did all his friends — like family.

Vicente was an expert at creating and maintaining relationships, and never let distance or time get in the way of checking up on family, friends, and even acquaintances. At times childlike himself, he was beloved by children and loved his godchildren, niece, and partner’s child, Stella, as his own. He will be deeply missed by many.

A celebration of Vicente’s life will be held at the Middletown Art Center on Sunday, April 27, from 2 to 8 p.m. Activities will include live music, a DJ, arts and crafts projects, and a reading of his work by the Lake County Poet Laureates. Dinner will be served from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.