Obituary

Arthur Gustavo Chavez entered his eternal rest, peacefully on March 7, 2020. He was born on October 8, 1948, the firstborn child of Josephine Burt Chavez and Frank Ramon Chavez. At the age of seven months, he moved to Belen, NM where he was raised. Immediately after graduating from Belen High School in 1968, Arthur joined the US Marine Corps where he achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant. As a Marine, he served two tours of duty in Vietnam including being a part of “Operation Frequent Wind,” evacuating refugees off the coast of Vietnam after the fall of Saigon in 1975. He also served two years as a Drill Instructor at MCRD in San Diego.

In 1973 he married his wife of 46 years, Chloe Chavez. They were blessed with two wonderful children, Kevin and Megan. Two years ago, a beautiful daughter-in-law, Anna joined their family. In 1978 Arthur began working for Viking Freight System, a local California trucking company that was eventually sold to Fed Ex Freight. He transferred to Phoenix, AZ in 1983 where he worked as a local pick-up and delivery driver, a driver trainer, and an over-the-road driver. He was presented with many safety awards including a one-million-mile accident-free award. He won the AZ State Truck Driving Championship and placed twenty-third in the national competition. Art retired after 33 years of driving and enjoyed many hours fishing, woodworking, and spending time with his family. Art was a member of Skyway Church where he enjoyed serving the Lord and helping people.

Art is survived by his wife, Chloe; son, Kevin (Anna); daughter, Megan; mother, Josephine; sisters, Linda, and Marlene (Marty); brother-in-law, Pat; nephews and nieces, Frank, Shari, Jonathan, David, and Jacob; and eight great-nieces and nephews.   He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Carmen and Gustavo Burt; his paternal grandparents, Ruby and Felix Chavez; his father, Frank Ramon Chavez; his brother, Richard Francis Chavez; and his brother-in-law, Leroy Pino.

A visitation will be held from 5:00 – 8:00 pm, Wednesday, March 11, 2020, at Thompson Funeral Chapel, 926 S. Litchfield Road, Goodyear, AZ 85338. Interment will take place at 1:30 pm, Thursday, March 12, 2020, at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, 23029 Cave Creek Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85024. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am, Saturday, March 14, 2020, at Skyway Church, 14900 W Van Buren St, Goodyear, AZ 85338.  Condolences for the family may be left below.