Died February 19, 2021.

Vista Middle School, Las Cruces, NM

Obituary:

Christopher Jacob Sarmiento was born on July 17th, 1987 to Esteban Sarmiento and Maria Elena Sarmiento (Irrobali) in El Paso, TX. He was called to be with our Lord on Friday, February 19th, 2021 after losing his hard-fought battle to COVID-19.

He is survived by is wife Mary Sarmiento (Gamez), Daughters Marley, Mahaley, son Christopher Jr., mother, Siblings Joseph, Esteban (Anel), Marie, Johnathan (Vanessa), Richard (Norma), and Michael (Samantha), and nieces and nephews. He committed his life to the service of our Lord and along with wife and children attended Abundant Living Faith Center in El Paso, TX. Christopher graduated from Jefferson High School and went on to obtain his teaching degree from the University of Texas at El Paso.

Chris tutored ESL students at Bowie HS, completed his student teaching at Brown Middle School, worked at Anthony HS, and most recently dedicated his last two years to Vista Middle School in Las Cruces where he taught 6th &7th grade Social Studies and helped coach the 8th grade football team. Chris grew up without a father. Therefore, he made it his life mission to help mentor young boys that needed a father figure in their lives. He did not always make the best decisions growing up, so he wanted to help those boys make better decisions than he made. He coached football to help young athletes understand that, yes, the love of sports is important, but doing well academically is just as important. He wanted them to know that it is okay to make mistakes and wrong decisions; the important thing is that you continue to push forward and work hard for second chances.

His grandfather has a park named after him in Segundo Barrio, “Tula Irrobali Park”. It was named after Tula because of the work he did to help at risk youth get away from gangs by playing sports. Chris wanted to follow his example and honor his grandfather’s legacy through his own work with youth and sports. From his colleague: “Chris was truly one in a million and one of God’s special angels. He always took the time to make everyone that he encountered feel special. He was funny and joked with his students all of the time. I cannot tell you how many students, many who were not even in his class, would stop by during passing periods to see him. I used to tease him and call him Prom King because he always had a group surrounding him. I will truly miss his presence. He brought peace and calm to meetings, which we needed! It was wonderful to work with him. He told me about how your oldest played basketball and was so smart. He talked about your small daughter being full of life and so carefree and fun. He talked about how tired he was when your son was born and how much he loved his children.” He may have looked rough and tough on the outside, but on the inside, he had one of the biggest hearts ever known. He was selfless and always willing and ready to help. Devoted father, loving husband, caring son and brother, loyal friend, dedicated teacher and coach.