Faces of COVID-19: More than 1,000 lives lost in El Paso in the coronavirus pandemic

El Paso County on Sunday officially surpassed 1,000 deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic.

City-county public health officials on Sunday morning reported 11 deaths, raising the death toll to 1,010. The deaths occurred between October and December.

The tragic milestone in a tremendously tough year came nine months after the first known arrival of the novel coronavirus in far West Texas in mid-March.

The first known death locally was reported April 9 — a man in his 80s who died after contracting the virus.

More than 600 deaths are under investigation to determine if COVID-19 was the cause of death.

The deaths were more than just numbers on a data sheet. They were El Pasoans with hopes and dreams who were living their lives at the start of 2020.

They were grandparents, spouses, brothers and sisters, coworkers, teachers and truckers, priests and prison inmates.

The people who died of COVID-19 in El Paso ranged in age from one teenager to one person older than 100, according to city-county health figures.

Here are a few of the numerous El Pasoans lost to the pandemic, with information from obituaries, interviews and news reports.

• The Rev. Jose Luis Garayoa was pastor of Little Flower Catholic Church in the Lower Valley and was remembered as a humanitarian and a fearless missionary who worked in Africa. He died Nov. 24.

• Matthew Shubart, 41, was an inmate at La Tuna federal prison in Anthony, Texas. He had arrived in January and was serving a 15-year sentence on a conviction for advertising child pornography out of Alaska. He died Nov. 21 at a local hospital. He was the first reported COVID-19 death at the prison.

• Barbara Perez, 76, was a longtime El Paso political and community leader. She was a former El Paso city representative, Socorro school board trustee, county commissioner, a justice of the peace and a wedding minister during a long career. She died Nov. 20.

• Ricardo Diaz Enriquez, 83, was a Bowie High School graduate who served more than 22 years in the U.S. Army. He enlisted in the Army in 1961 and did two tours in Vietnam, earning a Purple Heart with an oak leaf cluster, two Bronze Stars with a valor device and oak leaf clusters and other commendations. He died Nov. 19.

• Leon Metz, 90, was a well-known El Paso historian who authored several books on the Old West, hosted walking tours and wrote a column for the El Paso Times. He died Nov. 14 and was buried among the gunfighters in historic Concordia Cemetery.

• Magdalena D. Velasquez, 96, was a mother of six children whose legacy includes 15 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. She died Nov. 12.

• Margarita Ortega Guzman, 90, was a loving wife, mother and grandmother who humbly approached the world with strength and decency. “She opened her home to be overflowing with life's celebrations, and to be a shelter from life's adversities,” an obituary stated. She died Nov. 10.

• Baudelio Sanchez, 89, was a father, grandfather and great-grandfather who leaves behind 14 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. He was “a strong, healthy and active man until the virus took him from our lives,” his obituary stated. He died Nov. 9.

• Charlie Brown, 71, was a retired assistant high school football coach who helped mold and motivate generations of players. Brown coached at Fabens, Montwood, Burges, Cathedral, Aledo and Santa Teresa. He died Nov. 7.

• Linda Hernandez, 59, was a wife, mother and grandmother remembered for her compassion and generosity, including having a Christmas posada for the homeless in her old neighborhood. She died Nov. 4.

• Ruby Jewel Kincaid, 85, was a longtime resident of Clint and El Paso and the matriarch of the Kincaid family. “She was a homemaker and devoted her life to her children and grandchildren, providing them with beloved traditions and memories for a lifetime,” an obituary stated. She died Oct. 28.

• Leo Lugo, 56, of El Paso, was a special education teacher at Chaparral High School who loved helping his students. He was a former Spanish-language radio personality, including working for Estrella 103.1-FM for more than 20 years prior to teaching. He died in October after about two weeks in the hospital.

• Mary Esther Minjares, 67, was a loving wife, mother and grandmother. In 1973, she began working at Farah, working her way to senior vice president at Tropical Sportswear Int'l and Helen of Troy. She died Aug. 27.

• Gilbert "Gobo" Esparza, 53, was a father and grandfather, a U.S. Navy veteran and a long-haul truck driver who when the pandemic began in March was delivering personal protective equipment to Florida and the East Coast. He died Aug. 21.

• Sara Montoya, 43, is survived by her parents, a husband, three daughters and a granddaughter. “Sara was very outspoken, caring, loving and known to be the life of a party, living life with no regrets,” her obituary stated. She died Aug. 13.

• Daniel J. Morales, 39, was a husband, a father of four young children and a nurse who loved caring for others. After a 28-day struggle in an intensive care unit, he died on Aug. 4.

• Yolanda A. Gonzalez and Luis A. Gonzalez, ages 83 and 56, were mother and son. Yolanda died July 30, followed by her son Luis on Aug. 3. Yolanda Gonzalez “embodied what it meant to be loving and faithful. … Louie was a gentle and kind soul that took great pride in being a loving son, brother, and uncle,” their obituary stated.

• Rijdy Kayser Aboud, 73, was remembered by his family as “a generous soul, filled with love and sympathy.” He had two restaurants, PJs Cafe and RK's Smokin' Express BBQ, in his younger years. He died July 30.

• Raymond G. Crawford, 87, served more than 20 years in the U.S. Army and devoted more than 40 years of his life as an elder and pioneer with Jehovah’s Witnesses. He worked in prison ministry for more than 15 years at the El Paso County Jail Annex and the Rogelio Sanchez State Jail. He died July 29.

• Sergio Macedonio Peña Acosta, 71, was owner of the internationally known Kentucky Club bar in downtown Juárez. He died in an El Paso hospital July 23.

• Raymond O. and Norma C. Balderas, ages 84 and 78, had been married for 61 years and died two days apart. Raymond Balderas, who spent most of his life in the U.S. Army and then the civil service, died July 12; Norma died July 14. “They remain together forever,” their obituary stated.

• Luis Fernando Paiz, 86, was a husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He served 20 years in the U.S. Army, including three tours of duty in Vietnam. He died July 11.

• Maria Sargent, 91, raised five children. She served in the U.S. Air Force in the early 1950s and later worked for 20 years at the U.S. Postal Service, where she retired as a supervisor at age 60. She was a resident at the Ambrosio Guillen Texas State Veterans Home. She died May 22.

• Karla Dominguez, 33, was a pediatric intensive care nurse at Providence Children’s Hospital, who lovingly referred to her child patients as "her kids." She died April 19 at The Hospitals of Providence Memorial Campus, of which the children’s hospital is a part.

Daniel Borunda may be reached at 915-546-6102; dborunda@elpasotimes.com; @BorundaDaniel on Twitter.

El Paso Times librarian Trish Long contributed to this report.

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This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso COVID: Faces of lives lost since start of coronavirus pandemic