Del Rio native Jose Delgado Tovar dies at 83, visitation set Friday

Visitation was set for Friday afternoon at Sunset Memorial Oaks Funeral Home on North Bedell Avenue for Jose Delgado Tovar, a Del Rio native who died May 5 at age 83.

Born July 12, 1942, in Del Rio, Tovar was identified in his obituary as both a resident and a native of the city, a detail that placed him among the older generations of local families whose names stay tied to the town year after year. He was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Rosa L. Tovar, along with his parents, Apolonio and Inez Tovar, and a long list of siblings.

The family he left behind stretched across several generations. His survivors include daughters Letty Tovar, Vanessa Rodriguez and Kathy Flores, as well as grandchildren Danny Dominguez, Jaime Dominguez, Juan Veliz Jr., Sabrina Veliz, Jose Veliz, Olivia Pereyda and Monica. The obituary also invited condolences and said the family could direct memorial donations to a charity of its choice.

Tovar’s obituary carries the kind of local footprint Del Rio families recognize immediately. This is a border city where names often remain rooted in the same neighborhoods, churches and funeral-home halls for decades, and where remembrance is part of the civic rhythm. Del Rio is the county seat of Val Verde County, set near the confluence of the Rio Grande and San Felipe Creek and about 154 miles west of San Antonio. Val Verde County had 47,586 residents in the 2020 Census, while Del Rio had 34,673, underscoring the close-knit scale of a community where a single family can be known for generations.

The setting also reflects the way Del Rio preserves its own history. The city’s Main Street Program describes historic downtown as the heart of the community, and the Val Verde Historical Society works to preserve local history, culture and arts. In that context, Tovar’s death marks more than the passing of one man. It is another reminder of the family lines that have shaped Del Rio for decades, and of the places where those families still come together to say goodbye.