Sergeant Ruben Sylvester Chavez Sr.
Obituary
Sergeant Ruben Sylvester Chavez Sr., was born in Belen, NM on November 26, 1946 and passed on February 7, 2026 at the Veteran's Hospital in Palo Alto, CA. He was 79 years old.
Sergeant Chavez was a recipient, and awarded the Purple Heart, having served two Vietnam tours in 1964-1966 where he had been reported Missing in Action.
Family was later informed that he'd been located in a Japanese hospital where he was treated for wounds sustained in the war. He was later returned to his home in Watsonville, CA.
Sergeant Chavez now rests peacefully along with his mother, Mary Lopez Chavez; his grandmother, Annie Olguin; and brothers, Jesse and Daniel Chavez; and his brother-in-law, Santos Mendez.
He is survived by his children, Monica, Ruben Jr., Juanita (Cupcake) and Yolanda; brothers, Tony Rogers (Chavez) and Joe Chavez; sisters, Trine Mendez, Rosie Jaquez, Veronica Ramirez, Rita Chavez; Uncle Bill Olguin; as well as many grandkids, nieces and nephews; in addition to several family members in Barstow, CA and Albuquerque, NM and other cities throughout the U.S.
Services for Sergeant Chavez will be held at the Fort Ord Memorial Cemetery on March 24, 2026 at 11:00a.m. A celebration of his life will follow at 1pm at the American Legion Hall, Watsonville.
Published in The Pajaronian · March 17, 2026