Raúl M. Grijalva passed away peacefully on March 13, 2025 with his wife and three daughters by his side. He was born in Tucson on February 19, 1948 to Raúl and Rafaela Grijalva. He grew up on the south side with his younger sisters Lydia and Norma and a neighborhood full of friends. A proud product of public education, he graduated from Sunnyside High School in 1967. It was there that he met the love of his life, Ramona Garduño. They married in 1971 and proceeded to have Adelita, Raquel, and Marisa.

Raúl's parents instilled in him the values of hard work, perseverance and community service. He was a proud public servant for over 50 years, having been elected to the Tucson Unified School Board in 1974, and to the Pima County Board of Supervisors in 1986. In 1987, Raúl M. Grijalva Elementary School was named in his honor because of his outstanding board service. As a member of the U.S. Congress for 22 years, and as Chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, he was a champion for public education, the environment, equity and social justice issues and Native American sovereignty. His leadership was key in supporting the successful efforts of the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition to protect their ancestral lands, which led to the designation of Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni—Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in 2023, protecting nearly 1 million acres of federal public lands surrounding Grand Canyon National Park. He proudly carried the title of the "most liberal member of Congress." He fought against injustice in any form from a young age, and carried that with him throughout his life.

Raúl was a wonderful husband, father and Tata who loved his family fiercely. He is survived by Ramona, with whom he recently celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary, and daughters, Adelita (Sol Gómez), Raquel, and Marisa (Floyd Thompson III). He is also survived by his sisters, Lydia and Norma Grijalva, and special godson Martin Velazquez. He treasured his time with his grandbabies and loved being Tata to Adelina, Raúl and Joaquín Grijalva-Gómez, and Floyd IV and Belén Thompson. He was also Tío to many beloved nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews. Raúl was preceded in death by his parents.

Raúl had a great sense of humor, eclectic taste in music (and a penchant for playing it very loudly), was a great cook, and loved to read everything. He had genuine conversations with people and could easily talk about practically any topic. He could often be found with a newspaper in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. He was artistic and rarely sat through a meeting or hearing without working on one of his famous doodles.

Raúl lived a purpose-driven life, guided by and in service to his community. He didn't back down from a fight and could always be counted on to speak his mind and stand up for those without a voice. Raúl was fortunate to have staff who were committed and dedicated to the causes he valued, from interns to some who were by his side for nearly 40 years. He considered his staff to be family and felt his successes were a team effort. His success was also due to the efforts of an army of volunteers - affectionately known as Grijalvistas - dedicated and hard-working people who have given their time and energy to Raúl's candidacy and their shared causes for over five decades. Raúl was eternally grateful to his volunteers for their hard work and belief in him.

Raúl's family wishes to thank those who have sent prayers and condolences and who have shown so much love and support. Thanks to those who cared for him over the past year, especially his medical team at the Banner Cancer Center. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Raúl M. Grijalva Scholarship Fund ( https://grijalvalegacyfund.funraise.org/ ).