Joe E. Chavez

The earthly journey of our beloved Father was completed on January 11, 2017, on Mom's birthday. Dad was born on September 25, 1928, to Felipa Escobar and Juan Chavez, in Midland, TX. He was proud to call Midland his hometown.
Dad was featured in the book, "A History of Character, The Story of Midland, Texas." Dad attended school at the Latin American school. He loved school and excelled. Since the school only offered an education through the eighth grade, he repeated the eighth grade. Much later in life, he was proud to study for and obtain his General Equivalency Diploma (GED).
Dad met Mom in Midland, when they were fourteen years old. He said as soon as he laid eyes on her, he knew "she was the one". They were married on May 18, 1947, in St. George's Catholic Church.
Our parents attended St. George's Catholic Church, where he was asked to serve on the Finance Committee. He and Mom were founding members of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. Dad was a faithful servant of Christ. He lived his Catholic faith by being active in the Holy Name Society, serving as a Lector, Eucharistic Minister, on the Finance committee and as a member of the Knights of Columbus.
He began his employment in the Sanitation Department of the City of Midland. The work required the men to lift the metal trash containers manually. Most of Dad's work history was as a produce manager in several grocery stores. He had many special memories of working at Collins Food Service, where he met so many people. He later returned to the City of Midland as a truck driver in his last employment.
He enjoyed playing baseball, and was one of the star pitchers for Los Potrillos de Midland, the Midland Colts. They were part of a semi-professional league that played in several towns in the Permian Basin and the Trans-Pecos. He had a good fast ball and a mean curveball and taught his sons the game of baseball.
Dad was an avid non-fiction reader, and especially enjoyed autobiographies. He was fascinated by politics. He enjoyed watching a congressional debate on C-Span more than a football game. Go figure! He delved into local politics in the early 1970s when he ran for the city council. This was prior to single member districts. He was unsuccessful in his run for office, but thoroughly enjoyed the political campaign. He also served on the Midland Housing Authority Board.
One of his favorite pastimes was conversing with anyone. He would engage anyone that was willing to talk about anything. His character is best described as a true gentle man, with a calm demeanor, and earned the respect of many.
Our Mom preceded Dad in death on October 3, 2016. Dad is survived by sons, Art Chavez and wife, Alice; Robert Chavez; daughter, Sylvia Chavez and husband, Joe Guerra; grandchildren, Stephanie Chavez, Christina Jones (Darrell), Marc Chavez (Allison); great grandchildren, Jaden Limon, Layla and Darrell Jones, II.
The family appreciates the compassionate care provided by Midland Memorial Hospital CCU and Hospice of Midland. Memorial contributions may be made to Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and Shrine or to a charity of your choice.

Viewing will be held Thursday, 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm, and Friday, 9:00 am – 9:00 pm. Rosary will be recited on Friday, 7:00 pm at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday at 11:00 am also at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. Father David Herrera will be the celebrant. Burial will follow at Resthaven Memorial Park.