Peter Arvizu

Pete D. Arvizu, Sr., born April 12, 1935, of Waco, Texas, passed on to be with The Lord on Wednesday, March 25, 2015, after a long battle with multiple illnesses. Pete is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Maria Guadalupe Arvizu, and children, Maria and Jose Mireles, Sr., Ruth and Peter Arvizu, Jr., Izaura Arvizu, Connie and Armando Arvizu, and Bebe and Johnny Arispe, Sr., all of the Waco area. He was blessed with 14 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, and 10 nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his sister, Aldonza Gutierrez and her husband, Joventino Gutierrez, of McAllen, Texas, his mother-in-law, Mary Duarte of Waco, Texas, and his sister-in-law, Velia Torres and her husband, Frank Torres, of Dallas, Texas. Pete made Waco his home over 70 years ago, working, raising his family, and finding time to be active in the community – which was as much a part of life as his family. Pete was humble, honest, hard-working, talented, and passionate about the things that he believed in. He wore many hats in his lifetime, from boxer to busboy, salesman to janitor, drug & alcohol abuse counselor to mentor, leader and activist to mechanic and carpenter. He had a heart for service and a heart for justice. Consequently, all of this paved the way for many life-long friendships from many different walks of life.
In the early seventies, Pete played an integral part in establishing La Raza Unida Party in McLennan County, which helped propel his close friend, Ramsey Muniz, to the forefront as the Party’s candidate for Governor of the State of Texas in 1974. Pete was also President of the Alliance of Mexican Americans here in Waco. Nevertheless, one of his greatest accomplishments would be as one of the principal plaintiffs in an action against the Waco Independent School District in 1972. This lawsuit sought to balance the disparity in schools with disproportionately large numbers of Mexican American students; and would bring about many needed changes in Waco schools – changes that exist to this day. As Ramsey Muniz so eloquently put it in a letter he sent to Pete just days before Pete’s death, “Pete’s sacrifices for the masses in Waco and for his beloved family cannot ever be denied. I will always be a testament to the love he had for his family and for his people….people who do not even know that we exist today.”
The Arvizu family would like to thank everyone who came by to visit with Pete last weekend, and we are especially grateful to his wonderful medical team, Drs. Charles Shoultz III and Gerard Marroquin, and to the staff (a/k/a “his blue angels”) at the Providence CHF Clinic.
At Pete’s wishes, there will be no funeral or graveside services. The family will host a memorial service on Saturday, March 28, 2015, at Pecan Grove Funeral Home at 3124 Robinson Drive, Robinson, Texas, from 6:00 – 8:00 pm.