Obituary of James Francis Alvarado, Jr.

James Francis Alvarado, Jr., age 41, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, March 2, 2024 in Tucson, Arizona.

James was born March 15th, 1982 in Tucson, Arizona to Nancy Jean Langan and James Francis Alvarado, Sr. He resided in Tucson, but also loved to visit his family in New York. James attended Amphitheater High School, South Seneca High School, and Pima Community College.

James is survived by his parents: Nancy Jean Langan and James Francis Alvarado, Sr. (Annastasia Alvarado), his step-mother: Pamela Couture, his siblings: Christina Alvarado, Sarah Alvarado, and Zebediah Alvarado, step-siblings: Charles Smith, Maggie Banks, Michael Lee, Joseph Darrow, Anthony Lee-Cook, and Jeffrey Thomas, his grandmother: Myrna Alvarado, and his nieces and nephews: Alexandra Banks, Taylor Banks, Veatrix Alvarado, Robert Salazar, Zacarias Alvarado, Aedan Salazar, Anthony Chamerlain, Charles Chamberlain, and Devon Lee. James also leaves behind his fiancee, Jennifer Lara, with whom he had a long and loving relationship.

James loved hanging out with his best friend, Daniel Burson, who has been by his side since the 2nd grade. James also relished being in nature, hiking, and enjoying the fresh air and sunsets in the beautiful Tucson desert. He learned to repel and rock climb with his Dad and they would go storm chasing as well. Two of his favorite places in Tucson were Gates Pass and Windy Point, Mt. Lemmon. If you find yourself there, remember James. He loved bicycling, roller skating, and anything outdoors. James would take time to spend with the children in his life and had endless patience with them. He taught Jennifer's daughter, Nevaeh, how to ride a bike and, eventually, how to drive. James truly enjoyed taking long drives with Jennifer through the Tucson desert. James loved his sisters and always wanted to protect them. He loved to play Fortnite with his sister, Sarah, and her boys. Memories from Maggie include playing in the rain during monsoons every summer, taking turns pushing Charlie down a hill, and riding on the back of Charlie's wheelchair until they crashed - with Charlie belly laughing the entire time. One of Sarah's fondest memories of James making her feel special is going on a shopping spree at the mall funded by James. These are just a few examples showing how spending time with his family was very important to James. He took great pride in watching his nieces and nephews grow and sharing his love of Pokemon cards, rock painting, and cracking geodes with them.

James was a gamer, both online and at the table. He loved all games: board games, card games, and especially poker. He enjoyed playing pool as well. He enjoyed going to car meets and car shows. James took a special love of leatherwork, welding, blueprinting, and art, as well as writing poetry. He felt he could relate a lot to the music he loved. Two of this favorite bands were Chevelle and Deftones. James studied welding at Pima Community College and excelled in it - he designed, built, and installed many projects in the Tucson and Sahuarita community. He craved knowledge and took pride in watching many tutorials on how to take things apart and rebuild them so he could figure out how they function.

James would fill a room with his excitable personality, often being the loudest person in the room. He loved to show his friends and family support when they accomplished something amazing; he was their biggest cheerleader. James was a gentle giant, a great friend, and an all-around stellar human being. He will be loved and missed by many of us. He made his presence known, and that imprint will last a lifetime. We love you, James.