Roy James "RJ" Textor

Roy James (RJ) Textor passed peacefully at home on August 20, 2025, where he was as comfortable as possible in his difficult time and knew that he was loved. He suffered a slow decline lasting decades due to COPD and then a more rapid decline after a mild stroke that affected his eyesight earlier this year.

Roy was born in El Paso, moved around the country from coast to coast and north to south after retirement, and then returned to El Paso in 2014. He worked at the Chevron petroleum refinery in El Paso "making gasoline" for 30 years from the age of 21 until he retired on November 30, 1986. His career progressed from operator to supervisor and included roles ranging from operations turnaround planner to developer of gasoline recipes as the "blender" to lead firefighter where he successfully led efforts to quell some dangerous events. He formed several lifelong friendships at Chevron. He loved to do projects of any kind, small or large, from fixing "irritants" in the house and in his domain the garage, to serving as general contractor to build the second home in Cloudcroft, New Mexico. For more than 25 years, Cloudcroft fulfilled his lifelong dream of having a cabin in the woods and gave him endless additional projects, pride, joy, several close friends, and a place to know some of his grandchildren and great grandchildren. On one grandchildren visit, they built a treehouse that matched the house beautifully. When he could no longer handle being in Cloudcroft due to his COPD in the altitude and thin air, he announced that it was time to sell it. Then, as his health declined further and he could no longer do even small projects and even with help of his great grandson Logan or the help of others, he gave much of his extensive tool collection away to people that he loved who would use the tools.

Roy is survived by his wife of 42 years Marise Lada Textor and his daughter Deborah Suzanne Heggem. He is also survived by grandchildren Tara D'Elosua Sifuentes, Wendy Heggem Holt Murray, Brian Maker, and Tammy Heggem Shugart, step granddaughter Angela D'Elosua Steen whom he always considered to be his granddaughter, and great grandchildren Logan, Riley, and Ashli Sifuentes, Taylor Holt Barnes, and Redding and Paden Shugart, and step great grandchildren Joey and Josh Krieger. He is also survived by son-in-law Scott Heggem and great grand son-in-law Chandler Barnes.

Roy is now with those he loved who preceded him in death including his son Roy Wayne Textor and his daughter Linda Kay D'Elosua Maker, his parents Euna Harkey and Roy James Textor Sr., his sisters Gladys May Anthony Scholz, Dorothy Eleanor Coltharp, and Betty Jean Merritt, and his brother John George Textor and sister Mary Elizabeth Textor who died at young ages and unnamed twin siblings who died in infancy. He was also preceded in death by his first wife and mother of his children, Anita Lowe Textor Hufford.

A Celebration of Life will be held for friends and family to remember and honor Roy, and will be preceded by a short interment ceremony where Roy's remains will be placed with his beloved son Roy Wayne.

Please, no flowers or gifts. In lieu, those who wish to honor Roy may make memorial donations to El Paso's Center Against Sexual and Family Violence (CASFV) at casfv.org.