Joshua Daniel Tovar was born on Tuesday, November 30, 1993 in El Paso, Texas and returned home to his Lord and Savior on Friday, July 9, 2021 in Encinitas, California, where he was vacationing with family. He is survived by his son, Noah James Tovar; parents Aaron and Nancy Tovar; brothers Adam and Patrick Tovar; grandparents Hampton and Toni Hurt; paternal aunties and uncles Larry Tovar Jr. (Cindy), Elizabeth Rodriguez, Cynthia Tovar Brewer, Brenda Tovar Chatfield (Richard), Lorraine Tovar, Anita Tovar, and Mark Tovar; maternal aunts and uncles Hampton Hurt (Anna) and Sally Deitch (Greg); paternal great-uncle and aunt Dolores Colmenero (Rudy); maternal great uncle and aunt Angie Salazar (Isaac); and girlfriend Nadia Maser. Joshua is also survived by numerous cousins and friends that were like family. Joshua was preceded in death by his grandparents, Larry Tovar, Sr. and Anita Abeyta; uncle Michael Tovar, aunts Barbara Loretta and Deanna Tovar.
Joshua’s love of the Lord started from birth and baptism, with the support of his godparents, Hampton Hurt III and Sally Deitch. As he grew, his relationship with God and Catholic faith was nurtured by his parents and family members, including his confirmation sponsor/padrino Alex Medrano Jr. Joshua attended and graduated from Cathedral High School in 2012 and the brotherhood of his Cathedral classmates furthered his faith and love of Christ. In the summer of 2012, Joshua attended the St. Raphael Teen A.C.T.S. retreat and from then wore his A.C.T.S bracelet daily until his passing as a remembrance of the life-altering experience of that weekend.
He played sports from early in his childhood to the week before he passed from this life. His favorite places in the world were football fields, basketball courts and golf courses. From Cielo Vista Elementary School to MacArthur and Ross Middle Schools to Cathedral High School to Valley City State University to his “weekend warrior” recreation leagues, Josh was an accomplished and competitive athlete. He had a tremendous love for his teammates, which he considered his brothers. As a high school senior in December 2011, Josh was selected to the Greater El Paso Football Showcase All-Star team and was awarded the Ed Fifer Leadership Award, for which he was selected by his teammates. In conjunction with the All-Star game, Josh participated in the Greater El Paso Football Combine and was noticed by recruiting scouts from Valley City State University in Valley City, North Dakota. Joshua was offered a football scholarship and played wide receiver for the Vikings for four seasons. In December 2016, Joshua graduated from VCSU with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
Josh was fun-loving and affectionate, everyone’s friend and supporter. He was the life of the party, gregarious and outgoing. His amiable personality and enthusiasm for life made him well-suited for his occupation as a Marketing Coordinator in the Public Affairs department of University Medical Center of El Paso. He was passionate about UMC, healthcare, and the El Paso community.
On April 9, 2020 he became a father to Noah James. Noah was the center of his life and Josh was a loving, attentive and affectionate Dada. He reveled in Noah’s every milestone and celebrated the fun times and the quiet, loving times with equal joy. With the love of a father, Joshua will watch over Noah from heaven all the days of Noah’s life.
Visitation will be held on Friday, July 23, 2021 at St. Raphael Catholic Church, 2301 Zanzibar Rd., El Paso, Texas, from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM, with Rosary Service at 6:00 PM. Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, July 24, 2021 at 9:30 AM at St. Raphael Catholic Church, 2301 Zanzibar Rd., El Paso, Texas. Committal Service will be held on Saturday, July 24, 2021 at 11:00 AM at Restlawn Cemetery, 8700 Dyer, El Paso, Texas. Pallbearers: Jeremiah Blue, Zachary Blue, Zachary Deitch, Hampton Hurt IV, Mark Molina, Gavin Tovar, Travis Tovar, and Andy Vega.
In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family has set up an account to benefit Noah James Tovar. The fund will be managed by Noah’s paternal grandparents. Please make checks to: Sally Deitch fbo Noah Tovar. Mail to: Bank of Texas, Attn: Ray Owen, 320 Texas Ave., El Paso, TX 79901 or Venmo to @benefitofnoah .
