Victor Gabriel Jaramillo (El Coyote) passed away on August 2, 2008 after a brief battle with cancer in the comfort of his home and in the company of his loving wife, his five children, siblings, and friends.

Victor was born March 6th, 1943 in Flagstaff, Arizona to Crescencio and Adelita Jaramillo, one of twelve siblings. He was brought up in "Los Shantes" until Crescencio built the family home on South San Francisco Street, a home occupied by the family to this day. There his first true passion, the love of playing music, sprouted with the "borrowing" of his brother Jimmy's guitar at the tender age of eight.

Victor played the bass guitar with his friends in various capacities over the next fifty-plus years of his life. Whether it was he and a friend plucking the guitar on a porch or next to the campfire or touring the southwest and entertaining crowds of hundreds at every type of dance, wedding, tardiada, benefits, or quinceanera, making people happy with his music was among his greatest joys and a big reason he is so well loved and respected in this community.

A Flagstaff local, Victor attended South Beaver Elementary, Flagstaff Jr. High and Flagstaff High School, the three public schools here at the time. While attending the seventh grade at Flagstaff Jr. High he met and courted his sweetheart, Prescilla Flores. This relationship blossomed into a lifelong partnership that endured all of life's challenges and blessings, and continued to the hour of his passing. Victor and Prescilla were married April 23rd, 1961 here in Flagstaff (unless you asked Victor, His anniversary is April 24th). They built a home and raised six children here in Flagstaff.

On a cold February day in 1961, Victor's Father Crescencio fell ill and was unable to report for work at the water department of the City of Flagstaff. Abandoning other obligations, Victor reported to work at the water department as a temporary fill in for his sick father. Thus began a thirty-two year career with the City of Flagstaff, culminating with his retirement in 1993 at the young age of forty-nine as Superintendent of Public Works.

An early retirement afforded Victor the opportunity to pursue many of his life's goals: to travel this great nation, to camp and to fish and to spend time with his beloved family and wonderful friends. Victor was able to see all of the country that he so loved, from the Golden Gate to the Statue of Liberty; from the glaciers of Alaska to south Texas and the Gulf of Mexico. He enjoyed the lights and music of Beale Street, awed at the great Niagara Falls, attended the Grand Ole Opry, drove across the Chesapeake Bay, saw Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell and even the breathtaking Twin Towers of the World Trade Center; this is only a short list of his many travels.

Victor was a lifelong and much decorated member of The Knights of Columbus, Padre Miguel Hidalgo Council in Flagstaff. He was also a dedicated blood donor most of his life.

Victor, among everything else, will be remembered for his unique sense of humor, his sharp wit, his bellowing laughter, his unyielding generosity, his cynical smile and his endless and loving compassion. He is truly loved and will be remembered and missed by thousands.

Victor is survived in death by his loving wife of forty-seven years, Mary Prescilla Flores Jaramillo of Cottonwood, daughters Angela Jaramillo, Lisa Jaramillo and Stephanie (John) Salazar, all of Flagstaff, Cynthia Jaramillo of Las Vegas,, NV, son Victor Gabriel Jaramillo Jr. (Gabe) of Flagstaff, grandchildren Victoria Jaramillo, Vanessa Jaramillo, Anthony Salazar, Alyssa Salazar, Jasmine Meier, Holly Meier, Aliyah Salazar and Avayah Salazar; great-grandchildren Nidia Gonzales, Yahvette Martinez, Emilano Martinez, Raul Gonzales, Armando Martinez, Yessica Gonzales, Nataliyah Jaramillo, Gabriel Jaramillo, Leticia Jaramillo, Adrian Salazar and Alexis Salazar; siblings Hortencia "Tencha" Martin of Flagstaff, Pauline Harless of National City, CA, James "Jimmy" Jaramillo of National City, CA, John (Yolanda) Jaramillo of Anaheim, CA, Diane (Ivan) Busch of Cottonwood, Gloria (Pat) Gonzales of Yuma, Linda (Gabriel) Argumendo of Flagstaff, Daniel (Maria) Jaramillo of Phoenix, Cloriza (Fernando) Lomeli of Tucson, Uncle Willie Garcia of Globe, in law siblings Maurice (Nadine) Flores of Boulder City, NV, Bertha (Phillip) Chavez of Flagstaff, Cathy (Norvel) Griffith of Los Lunas, NM, sixty-one nieces and nephews as well as innumerable musical "siblings".

Victor is preceded in death by his parents, Crescencio and Adelita Jaramillo, parents in law Elijio and Lucia Flores, daughter Loretta Lynnette, granddaughter Latisha Renee Corrales, sister Viola Koury, brother Manuel Jaramillo and musical siblings Pete Montoya and Steven Estrella.

Victor will be laid to rest a Calvary Cemetery at 11:00 a.m. and a memorial will be held at St. Pius Church at 2:00 pm on Friday, August 8, 2008.

(Donations can be made to Cancer Society Research in lieu of flowers.)