April 4, 2001 – September 18, 2023
Joel Jose Vazquez
An adventurous, noble spirit, water lover and nature enthusiast.
Joel Vazquez, an only child, grew up in Austin, where he played lacrosse throughout high school and relished in his love for nature. His deep appreciation for the environment carried over into his Aggie career as he aimed to graduate in fall 2023 with a degree in environmental science.
Janina Vazquez, Joel’s mom, said Joel’s admiration for nature began as a child. He loved fishing and committed a great deal of his time to learning its ropes and many facets.
“He always loved the outdoors,” Janina said. “I remember him as a little kid digging holes in our backyard and putting black plastic bags trying to make fish tanks. He just always enjoyed being outside. Very early on, Joel, along with a family friend, maybe he might have been, like, 6 or 7 years old, he kind of was introduced to fishing. And when he got old enough, maybe around 13 [or] 14 years old, he started to teach himself how to fish and became very proficient in fishing.”
Joel shared his love for the outdoors with friends as well, Janina said.
“[Joel] introduced a lot of his friends to fishing,” Janina said. “That’s something that a lot of his friends told me [was] that they were so glad to have been introduced to fishing by Joel, that that was like his favorite thing to do — to be out in the water. … He would just light up, again, being just around water.”
Texas A&M was a dream come true for Joel and he took pride in being an Aggie, Janina said.
“He was so excited to be a student,” Janina said. “That was his dream school. He was so excited to be an Aggie and his girlfriend was going to A&M also so he was really excited about living in the same town, of course, and they were both studying the same thing. I remember him coming home and he preferred to wear all these t-shirts that he got that said Texas A&M on them. He wouldn’t wear any other shirt because he was just so proud.”
Upon graduating from A&M, Joel planned to advance in his efforts of helping the environment through his career.
“He definitely wanted to save habitats,” Janina said. “He was really interested in working at the Everglades with that habitat. He said he wanted to go to Florida and do some work there in the Everglades.”
A man of noble character, Janina said Joel was someone who always worked hard for what he wanted.
“Joel was very humble. He was always very humble and he would love to go out of his way and make people just feel comfortable … One of my favorite things about Joel is that whatever he wanted, he would go after,” Janina said. “Really early on, he got his boating license, he must have been between 15 and 16 years old. We have this little rinky dink boat, and my husband told him that he wasn’t allowed to drive the boat until he knew how to handle himself around it. And so Joel took it upon himself to do the work and take the courses and take the exam to have his boating license.”
As the oldest child in his family, Joel set an example for his younger cousins. His adventurous spirit and loving character was evident in the love he showed toward them, Janina said.
“He was always very energetic. He was just one of those old souls,” Janina said. “And Joel was always the eldest, right? Everybody else was like, about seven years his junior. And so Joel was the cool cousin who was always hanging out with the little ones, showing them things and taking them places and hanging out with them.”
For two years, Joel battled with a rare brain stem tumor.
“He was diagnosed with a very rare brain tumor,” Janina said. “It was a midline glioma … and basically, it’s a tumor that grows on the brainstem … But he was extremely brave and courageous throughout this two year battle with cancer. He never complained. Like, seriously, he never complained.”
Inspired by his unwavering strength, Janina said they continue to remember the impact Joel left on his family, as his words hold a special place in their hearts.
“[When he was diagnosed] I started telling him, ‘Oh, honey, things are gonna be okay,’” Janina said. “And he said, ‘Don’t say that. I just want us to take it one day at a time. Just one day at a time.’ And that was our motto for [the] two years that he was sick and it continues to be for us.”
Joel’s loving character, humility and courage were shown through his spirit. He was a bright and wise soul to be around and his courageous approach to life was a testament to his true character.
“I just saw my son become this amazing man [and] human being,” Janina said. “That just accepted this hard thing that was thrown his way. And he made the time that he was sick a pleasure to take care of him. He just wouldn’t complain, he was just trying to be as unobtrusive as he could. And that just speaks, to me, of his maturity and just his courage as a person.”