José Carrizales passed away at his home unexpectedly 8 November 2021.  José was born in Pearsall, Texas 29 June 1947 to Isidro and Tomasa Carrizales. He was the oldest of 8 children.

Jose's early years were spent in Pearsall and Victoria, Texas, graduating from Victoria High School in May 1966.  Upon graduation he was drafted into the U.S. Navy in 1967, trained as a medical corpsman, and quickly received orders for Vietnam to support U.S. Marine operations in De Nang.  He was honorably discharged from the Navy in May 1972.

José graduated from Gonzaga University, School of Engineering, Spokane, WA as a Mechanical Engineer in May 1978.  He began his engineering career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, transitioning later to the Department of Defense, serving as a Mechanical Engineer in a variety of leadership roles for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army in both Japan and S. Korea.  Believing in the ability to influence through a good education, he went on to complete a master's degree in Education and Educational Leadership from Troy State University in 1990.  A dedicated leader, who knew how to motivate and develop people, completed a successful 31-year civil service career with his retirement in 2004.

José believed in family first and foremost, and the need to serve one's local community. During his service in Japan and South Korea he spent his free time in leadership roles within the Boy Scouts of America, to be close with his sons and family.  He took joy in serving the local community, most recently serving as a substitute teacher for the Yuma Union High School District; as a lay eucharistic minister in the Yuma Regional Medical Center hospital ministry for Immaculate Conception Church; an active member of the Knights of Columbus, Roman Catholic Cursillo movement of the United States, and the Catenian Association of Great Britain, supporting their activities in various parts of the world.  José was an amazing husband, wonderful father, and a devout prayerful man who lived life to the fullest.  He believed in serving God and country, and having survived the Vietnam War, humbly understood the fleetingness of life and the need to help those around him, always.

José enjoyed the outdoors, camping with his sons, gardening with his wife, and cycling around AZ on his recumbent bicycle.  He was also a student of languages, fluent in both Japanese and Korean, and more recently, was in the process of learning Mandarin Chinese.  He viewed the study of languages as a way of truly understanding other cultures.

José is survived by his wife Colette and his eight children, Joseph, Alec, Tomas, Matthew, Adam, Jonathan, Sara, and Sophye.

A family rosary will be held at Desert Valley Mortuary, 138 N. Avenue B, Somerton, AZ on 19 November at 1:00 p.m., followed by a funeral Mass at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 505 S Avenue B, Yuma AZ 85365 at 3:00 p.m.