The Honorable Edward Lopez Pastor, 75, passed away on November 27, 2018. In 1961, he was awarded a scholarship from the newspaper company where he worked and enrolled at ASU. Ed earned his law degree from ASU in 1974. By the mid-1970s, he had fully committed to the growing Chicano movement - a movement that fought for the rights of Latinos and all working families who wanted a better life for themselves and their children. 

Ed honed his advocacy skills at Guadalupe Organization, Inc., a non-profit, community-based organization in Guadalupe, Arizona. His public service career followed with the administration of Arizona Governor Raul Castro where he advocated for workers and enforcement of the Civil Rights Act. Ed's younger brother, Bob, was killed in a car accident in 1975 which affected Ed deeply and brought him to the realization that elective office was one of the most effective ways for Latinos to have a strong voice at the proverbial table. In 1976, he successfully ran for a seat on Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, where he served for fifteen years. 

Ed Pastor served the state of Arizona as its first Mexican American congressman when he won a special election to assume Congressman Morris Udall's seat in 1991. He served for 23 years as a congressional leader on the House Appropriations Committee, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Committee on Small Business, the Education & Labor Committee, and the Agriculture Committee. In recognition of his keen ability to work "across the aisle" he served as deputy whip from 2010 until the conclusion of his tenure with the U.S. House of Representatives. 

The Congressman's background as a chemistry teacher afforded him a keen understanding of the environmental challenges facing the United States and the world, and he was dedicated to the preservation of our national parks, wetlands, and natural habitats. He spearheaded efforts to secure funding for research, development, and construction of the Phoenix Metro Light Rail System, and vigorously supported the Rio Salado & Tres Rio development projects believing in their intrinsic economic value to the city of Phoenix and state of Arizona. 

He never forgot our country's veterans, was always sensitive to the needs of his constituents, and advocated for immigrants, in particular the "Dreamers," by seeking to create and provided a pathway to citizenship for innocent children that only know the American way of life. As President Obama remarked upon his retirement Ed was, "The first in his family to graduate college, and the first Hispanic Congressman ever elected from Arizona, Ed Pastor has spent his life fighting to give every American the same chance to work hard and get ahead that this country gave him." 

Following his retirement, Congressman Pastor continued to serve the state of Arizona and spearheaded the Pastor Center for Politics and Public Service at ASU. We are reminded of his enduring legacy with the Ed Pastor Environmental Protection Area (Pima County), the Ed and Verma Pastor Elementary School, and the Ed Pastor Transit Center, as well as many other landmarks throughout the state.

Congressman Pastor is preceded in death by two brothers. He is survived by his wife, Verma Mendez Pastor, two daughters, one of whom is Phoenix City Councilwoman Laura Pastor, four grandchildren, a sister and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

A Visitation will be held from 6:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. with a Rosary at 7:00 P.M. on Thursday, December 6, 2018 at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 4715 N Central Avenue, Phoenix. The Funeral Mass will begin at 2:00 P.M. on Friday, December 7, 2018 at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. Entombment will immediately follow at the St. Francis Catholic Cemetery Mausoleum, 2033 N. 48th Street, Phoenix. Reception will take place at the Harper Great Hall from 5:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. (Source: Arizona Republic)