Oscar G. Gabaldon

Oscar G. Gabaldon, Jr., born in El Paso, TX, beloved husband, loving father, and grandfather, passed away on Thursday, December 3rd, 2020 at the age of 64 to be with our Lord Jesus Christ. He was an Assistant City Attorney and former Child Protection Court Associate Judge in the 65th Judicial Family Court for almost 14 years, serving as Judge from 2001 to 2014. He concurrently served as an associate judge in the Prevention Family Drug Court. He is survived by his loving wife, Martha M. Gabaldon; his loving children, Marissa Gabaldon, Cynthia Ann Gabaldon, and Oscar G. Gabaldon, III; his mother, Alba Gabaldon; brothers, Luis A. Gabaldon and Hugo M. Gabaldon; and sister, Clarissa Acuna; his grandchildren, Adaline Rose, Maisie Missy, and Autumn Skye. He is preceded in death by his father; Oscar G. Gabaldon, Sr.; and his sister, Nancy Torres. Pallbearers are Oscar G. Gabaldon, III., Luis A. Gabaldon, Hugo M. Gabaldon, Jimmy Quintanar, and Honorary Pallbearer Armando Moncada. While pursuing his studies for the Roman Catholic priesthood, Oscar graduated from the St. Thomas Seminary College & School of Theology, the Metropolitan State College, and the Iliff School of Theology, all in Denver, CO. He attended the University of St. Thomas, while stationed at St. Mary's Seminary in Houston. He graduated from The University of Texas at El Paso in 1979 with Honors with a degree in Philosophy. He then graduated and earned his law degree (Doctor of Jurisprudence) in Houston from the South Texas College of Law in 1982. On October 7, 1978, he married the love of his life, Martha, with whom he was blessed with three children. His family was the most important thing in his life and he was deeply devoted to them. Throughout his life, Oscar was greatly involved in his community. He began his career as an attorney in 1982 and primarily worked for The Texas Department of Human Services for most of his law career. Family law was always his greatest passion. Oscar was a Senior Trial Attorney with the County Attorney's Office prosecuting Child Protective Services (CPS) cases of child abuse and neglect. He had previously served as the Regional Attorney for the Texas Department of Human Services, where he was the Chief Legal Officer. Oscar also served as the department's Regional Mediation Coordinator and Incident Management Team Leader, Special Assistant Attorney General, an Assistant District Attorney, an Assistant County Attorney, a State Child Welfare Attorney, a Mediator, and a College Instructor of Business Law. Oscar then served as the Associate Judge for the 65th Judicial State District Family Court, and presided for approximately 14 years over the Child Protection Court, which handled all the cases of child abuse and neglect (CPS), and related cases such as CPS adoptions. He had the distinction of being the first and, for several years, the only Judge in the State of Texas to be certified as a specialist in Child Welfare Law (CWLS) by the American Bar Association and the National Association of Counsel for Children. He also briefly presided over the 65th Judicial State District's Protective Order Court. Oscar was a very compassionate judge who balanced the needs of the children with the rights of parents. Oscar's passion was always helping those in need, especially children. He then worked as a lawyer for the City of El Paso in the Litigation Section. Besides being a trial attorney for the City, he also served as the Police Legal Advisor for the El Paso Police Department and Legal Advisor for the Veteran's Affairs Advisory Committee. He also provided the legal oversight of the Texas Public Information Act and was a deputized City Prosecutor. Oscar was a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Western District of the United States District Court, and the 5th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals. Oscar had also been a member of several organizations, including being the Vice-President of the El Paso Coalition for the Homeless Board of Directors, member of Truancy Prevention Council, Board Member with the Casa Blanca Therapeutic Communities, Inc. to name a few. He also held several positions in the PTA and PTO (Parent-Teacher-Association/Organization), including PTA and PTO President for the Ysleta Council of PTAs and the Socorro Independent School District PTA/PTO Council. He was a member of the Life Management Center Professional Advisory committee, the Career Centers of Texas school advisory board, the Medical Assistants Committee of Career Centers of Texas, the Apostolate of Our Lady of Guadalupe Board of Directors, and Co-Leader/Co-Chair of the Governance Team of the Border Children's Mental Health Collaborative. He was also Deputy Lead Judge, and subsequently Lead Judge, of the El Paso Victims Act Model Court (VAMC), the Preservation/Preventative track Family Drug Court Judge, member of the El Paso Bar Association Board of Directors, the El Paso Bar Association Speaker's Bureau, the El Paso Bar Association Editorial Committee (Assistant Editor and contributing writer) for The El Paso Bar Journal publication, the State Bar of Texas, the Federal Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the National Association of Council for Children, the National Conference of Spealized Court Judges, the College of The State Bar of Texas, the Faith, Law and Morality Committee of the National Council of Juvenille and Family Court Judges, the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, the Aliviane Community Trauma Treatment and Services Steering Committee, the State Bar of Texas Court Rules Committee, the State Bar of Texas Child Abuse and Neglect Committee, and other community organizations and societies. A recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, Oscar considered his most treasured recognitions to be the Outstanding Father of the Year Award (1992), given to him by the state employees of the El Paso state regional office of Children's Protective Services, the Parent Leader of the Year Award given to him by the Border Children's Mental Health Collaborative/El Paso Federation of Families (2005), and the Humanitarian Award given to him by Aliviane, Inc. Oscar was awarded for his work on eliminating racism, disproportionality, and disparities in the foster care system. Oscar was also the award recipient for the 2007 State Bar of Texas Best Series of Articles for "Ethics and the Profession." His guest speaking presentations, throughout the country and abroad, and his numerous published articles, included a wide range of audiences and subjects. He was very passionate about his faith and never turned down an opportunity to help family, a friend, or a stranger out. He also taught Catechism to children and Adult Confirmation at St. Raphael Catholic Church. Oscar loved to play the guitar and sing. He would always welcome a good game of Chess, especially with his wife Martha and he was a big fan of the author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes books. He shared a passion for reading about mysteries and ghosts with his oldest daughter Marissa, a love of animals, particularly for dogs, with his daughter Cynthia, and a passion for the law with his son Oscar, who is in law enforcement. His favorite board game to play with his family was Clue and his favorite movie was the 1937 version of "The Hound of the Baskervilles". One of his favorite things to snack on was prickly pears (tunas) and he loved a good glass of homemade lemonade. One of his favorite pastimes was going on small road trips with his family. He often expressed that the greatest joy he ever experienced was marrying his wife Martha and having his three children. A visitation was held at 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM with a rosary at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, January 5, 2021 at Sunset Funeral Home- Americas, 9521 North Loop Dr. Interment was held at 1:00 PM Tuesday, January 5, 2021 at Mount Carmel Cemetery. Services entrusted to Sunset Funeral Home- Americas.